


Of Chaos, Magic & Kisses

by Chaos_Kisses



Category: Cravity (Band), I.O.I (Band), IZONE (Band), One It, Produce 101 (TV), Produce X 101 - Fandom, UNIQ (Band), UP10TION, VICTON (Band), Wanna One (Band), X1 (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Chaos, Crack, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, Love Triangles, M/M, Magic, Mystery, Other, Romance, Slow Burn, Strangers to Lovers, The slowest burn... It's just sizzling, bad movie references
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-19
Updated: 2020-06-30
Packaged: 2020-09-07 20:38:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 32
Words: 263,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20315677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chaos_Kisses/pseuds/Chaos_Kisses
Summary: “I didn’t sign up to deal with that much headassery and thick-skulled stubbornness when I got here,” Seungwoo mumbled in defeat.This might have been true at first, but as life goes on and stories intertwine chaos, becomes inavoidable. They all have their own history, their own present and future, and at the same time they are connected. Like a red string their connection winds through their stories as all of them set out to find out who they are.Some may find it, some are still searching, some have already reached their goal. But as they grow as people, their stories grow with them.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a shared work and the first story we are publishing, so both of us are very excited and nervous for everyone's reactions. We sincerely hope you enjoy this as much as we enjoyed creating it! 
> 
> Before we start, just some important things:
> 
> This story is not an accurate depicition of the people displayed. Please keep in mind while reading that we are in no way aiming to portray the real person and that as the story progresses these become characters shaped by the story. They are based on people but not representative in any way. 
> 
> Furthermore please remember: this is our story. If you feel uncomfortable with ships or plot for no other reason than your own preferences please refrain from calling us out on it. We appreciate constructive criticism, so please comment if you notice mistakes, questionable representations or suggestions of improvement for our writing. 
> 
> Without further ado, let's dive into this! Have fun reading!

With the light of the early afternoon falling on his face through the windows in the hallways, the boy looked tranquil and relaxed as he leaned against the pillow separating two windows. The corridor was deserted as he waited opposite from the door of the classroom. Quiet voices could be heard from it, not loud enough to actually understand, but it filled the area around the door with a comforting murmur, occasionally interrupted by the caw of a raven. 

They must have been practising silencing charms again. It was common practise to revise this specific spell before moving on to voice alteration spells – a louder voice, a different tone, different pitch, or an imitation of another voice. To understand how to do it you had to understand how the basics of the spell worked. 

The boy thought back to last year, when he practised the spell. One of his classmates had accidentally converted his voice into the raven’s voice and cawed at the whole classroom excitedly, before the teacher, Professor Kim Chungha, returned his original voice to him. The boy himself had succeeded in turning his voice loud instead. Extremely loud. He winced at the memory.

He glanced at the door. The lesson should be over any moment now. He relaxed his stance against the pillar a bit more and directed his eyes at the entrance of the room. A stray lock of his parted hair fell on his forehead, right above his dark eyes.

They were very beautiful eyes in a handsome face. Combined with his tall and lean build, strong from years of hard Quidditch training, it was understandable to any outsider why many eyes lingered on the boy when he walked through the castle.

The bell rung. Rustling could be heard in the classroom. The door opened and students started to trickle out. The boy’s gaze grew more intense, searching as he looked at the students, eyes flitting over heads and faces.

The first few girls started whispering to each other, stopping close to the door in small groups. School heartthrob Kim Yohan stood outside their classroom, apparently waiting for someone, if his wandering eyes were any indication. His gaze swept over the onlookers, until it fixed on someone.

He straightened his stance and took a step forward, the light from the windows illuminating him from behind, smiled and waved. An adorable, happy smile with bunny teeth and crinkling eyes. 

“Yooohoooo!” his loud voice rang through the corridor. In just a moment’s notice he turned from handsome and chic to cute and energetic, basically bouncing on his feet in excitement.

More confusion arose among the students. “Yoho,” a quiet voice said. 

A few students turned around. Cha Junho tried to make his way through the door – a difficult task, considering all the students piled up in it. He had his hand lifted in a similar manner to Yohan, just without the smile, face expressionless instead. He squeezed through the students and approached the waiting boy in the hallway. 

“You’re finally done for today!” Yohan said, smiling even brighter and looking a the smaller boy. Their height difference wasn't big, but still enough for Yohan to look downwards.

“You know, you could’ve just waited in the library instead?” Junho said quietly, raising an eyebrow at the other’s excitement. His face remained impassive even as he uttered the question.

“Nonsense. I told you I’d wait for you after class. Let’s go!” Yohan threw an arm over Junho’s shoulder and started pulling him down the corridor, chattering excitedly about his day. A tiny smile appeared on the smaller boy’s face as he was dragged along with Yohan.

They went to the library, Yohan talking and gesticulating all the way there, occasionally greeting passing students and teachers. Junho remained quiet for most of the time, replying in short answers or nodding and humming in agreement.

Yohan didn’t mind – he was used to it by now. At first, he thought the other disliked him and his talking. But with time he learned that Junho just needed time to recharge. He was more of an introvert that Yohan, who was very extroverted and a social butterfly. Junho preferred to keep to himself, not as energetic and social, with a face that was expressionless at most times and a quiet voice when he talked. People often called him a robot, but Yohan knew he was all but a robot.

He just needed some push of energy. Give him some time and a person providing his required dose of conversational energy - and suddenly he seemed to change into a different person. Class exhausted him, Yohan knew, and so he just went on talking as usual until they reached the library. By that point Junho had started smiling in earnest and his replies had gotten longer.

They entered, greeted the librarian Mrs Bae and quietly went to their favourite desk in the troll section: Near a window, hidden among bookshelf and usually avoided by students. Trolls were no one’s favourite subject, with their endless brawls and small wars going on; It was a tiring study. The upside was that hardly anyone ever came here. They could chat (quietly or the librarian would descend upon them like an offended Hippogriff) and have time for themselves.

Usually the two boys met at their table, talking about their day and complaining about homework (mostly Yohan), study quietly (Junho) and exchange comments and anecdotes. It was unusual for Yohan to pick Junho up after class - hence the confusion of Junho’s classmates. 

And of course his greeting. Junho almost snorted at the memory: It was an inside joke between them after watching 'Frozen' together during the holiday (recommended by the movie's probably most enthusiastic fan: Jinhyuk). Yohan had laughed at the shop owner’s greeting from the movie. He had laughed so hard he fell of the sofa, even though it was beyond Junho as to why this particular scene was so hilarious. But he just went with it when Yohan started greeting him like this. So it stuck.

Junho shook his head and went back to his work, pushing the memories away. He noticed how instead of concentrating on his potions homework he had stared straight ahead into Yohan’s face. The latter looked at him and smirked.

“Like what you see?” he asked with a smug tone and a twinkle appearing in his eyes.

“Shut up and continue with your essay.” Junho shot back.

“Oh come on, don’t be shy, you know…

“Excuse me…?” a small voice interrupted them from the side. They both turned around. About 3 feet from their table was a girl, awkwardly standing there with her hands clasped behind her back. Junho did not know her: A Hufflepuff, as the pin on her robes indicated, and younger then them he would guess. She seemed nervous, unsure of how to act and looking down. He blonde hair cascaded over her shoulders and her her expression shy, slight creases visible on her forehead.

“Can we help you?” Yohan asked, smiling slightly in an attempt to calm her. It failed, apparently, as the girl turned scarlet red and looked away quickly. 

“I just… wanted to give you something.” she elaborated, her voice almost whisper. Junho looked at Yohan and slightly raised an eyebrow. Yohan just shook his head, almost unnoticeable. They both looked at the girl again. 

She seemed to have made up her mind and approached their table, pulling out a letter from behind her back and offering it to Yohan. 

“Please accept this!” A baffled Yohan took the letter from the girl’s shaking hands and looked at her questioningly. She smiled slightly, turned around and ran off. Junho was pretty sure he heard a squeal somewhere.

When he directed his attention at his friend again, the latter was already reading the letter. His eyebrows furrowed slightly and he bit his lip, looking worried. When he finished he looked up. Junho raised his eyebrow again, the question remaining unspoken.

“I really don’t like this.” 

“The usual?” Junho asked. Yohan nodded, looking towards the window. Junho wondered how he was still that flustered every single time this happened. Yohan was his closest friend but he was also the school heartthrob. He had a tall and strong physique, a handsome face, promising Quidditch abilities and was a hardworking student as well (they probably never saw him choke on spaghetti after laughing too much whilst eating. Junho did though).

He was confessed to all the time. According to little Dohyun’s calculations he was at an average of 1.68 per month. The kid had an admirable knack for arithmancy and maths, he was never wrong. So at least one confession per month, starting from Yohan's third year (he hit his first growth spurt during summer break) and continuing until now, in his sixth year. 

Junho had been witness to most of these confessions as he and Yohan hung around each other frequently, even though the former was a year younger. And Yohan never got used to it. How, Junho would probably never understand. But emotions and their expression had never been his forte. He sighed.

“What are you going to tell her?” he asked his worried friend. Yohan turned to him, looked at the latter and sighed. 

“I’ll have to reject her.” Relief flooded through Junho, but he ignored the feeling. Yohan rejected all confessions. Understandably, as most were from people he was neither close with nor knew him on a personal basis. And even the few he knew he rejected. Junho was glad about it. He wasn’t sure if he was able to cope without Yohan. Or share him. No, no, wrong thought.

“She’s only a third year after all, and without the letter I wouldn’t even know her name. She probably thinks she likes me because of Quidditch….” Yohan trailed of and his ears became flushed. Junho grinned.

“Like… hero worship?" he asked teasingly. "For Gryffindor’s Quidditch wonder? The amazing Kim Yohan?” He noticed the flush reaching Yohan’s neck now and trailing towards his collar.

“Stop it, I’m no… whatever.” He was quiet for a moment, Junho's eyes never leaving him. “Stop looking at me like that! Ugh, I hate this. They always look so disappointed and I never know what to do about it, especially when they cry. I mean I couldn’t just hug them, so I just stand there and feel sorry? But it’s really awkward.” 

“I empathise with your suffering, oh great destroyer of hearts and teenage dreams. You really go through unthinkable torture.” Junho’s smile could be heard through his words and Yohan looked up at him, the flush having reached his cheeks now. 

“People would be really surprised if they knew how savage you are behind your shy and expressionless mask, Junnie.” 

The nickname caught Junho by surprise and he looked away, hoping the warmth of his cheeks wasn’t visible outwardly.

“Don’t call me that,” he replied. But Yohan just grinned at him.

“What, Junnie?” Junho nodded. “But it fits you so well!”

“Shut up and think about your rejection.”

That did indeed shut Yohan up and he turned to his books again. Junho looked at him for a second, worried he had crossed a line, but Yohan glanced up at him and winked. Shaking his head, he went back to his homework.

.oO°Oo.

Junho arrived at dinner alone; Yohan had to leave for his confession.

“She asked me to meet her at the lake before dinner. Wish me luck,” Yohan had said as they descended the Grand Staircase. Junho had looked at him with slightly raised eyebrows and a questioning look. 

“I know, luck isn’t what I need. But I still don’t want to make her cry, so maybe I need luck after all?”

“Alright, Romeo, stop waxing poetry and meet your ill-fated Rosalind.” Yohan had looked at him, confused.

“Isn’t she called Juliet?” Junho had sighed at his friend and pushed him towards the main entrance as they reached the Entrance hall.

“I’ll explain later. Now shoo!” He had turned left towards the Great Hall without looking at his friend again and went straight to the Ravenclaw table. After spotting his friend Eunsang, he had sat down opposite of the red haired boy. Eunsang looked at him and smiled. 

“Hey, how’s it going?” he asked, smiling and handing a plate to Junho, who promptly filled it with the stew and potatoes they had for dinner today.

“Fine. I got most of my homework done, so I got some down time in the evening.” He started eating, his hunger having made itself known right before they left the library. It earned him a ‘shhhhh’ by the librarian and a giggle from Yohan. 

“That’s great! Me too, maybe we could play some chess later?” Eunsang asked. He knew Junho preferred solitude and quietness (Yohan being th exception from te rule), but they found a compromise in comfortable game evenings in the Ravenclaw common room. Junho looked up from his food and smiled - an honest smile, with crinkling eyes.

“Yeah, I’d like that.” They continued dinner in comfortable silence, Junho going for a second helping and Eunsang starting on a letter after pushing his plate aside. They were interrupted by someone dropping heavily onto the bench next to Junho and slamming their head on the table.

Eunsang and Junho both winced; considering the sound of the head hitting the hard and worn wood, this must have hurt. Junho thought back to when Seungyoun had pulled the same stunt and ended up with a nose bleed - Hangyul had taken him to the hospital wing, despite the older claiming it was entirely 'his hot boyfriend's fault and the table had nothing to do with the blood'. Abandoning the memory, he looked at the slumped figure next to him, which started whining about how they hated life and everything with it.

“I take it your rejection ended in tears?” Junho asked instead of a greeting, patting Yohan’s back. The latter turned his face towards him, resting his cheek on the table and nodded. His face was squished against the wood, pushing his mouth into a pout and a bruise was forming on his forehead as he looked up at Junho with puppy eyes. He looked rather stupid like this. Stupid but adorable.

“You really are pathetic,” Junho concluded and turned from him reaching over the table. Yohan turned his face down again and started whining again.

“You’re my friend, you should support me and stuff! Why are you so cold to me….,” he dragged out the last vowel, sounding like a child. Junho turned to him with a plate filled with food.

“I am supporting you. With food. Here, eat.” Yohan shot up and Junho handed him the plate. The other put it down and started digging in with unrivaled vigor, seemingly trying to drown his despair in stew and potatoes. Junho reached for his forehead and brushed Yohan’s hair out of the way.

“That’s a nasty bruise,” Eunsang commented from the other side of the table, after watching their exchange. Yohan looked like a deer caught in headlights at his statement, cheeks puffed with food and eyes opened wide and round. Junho still had his hand on his forehead. They must've looked rather comedic if the snort behind them was anything to go by.

“Not to interrupt your moment, but Yohan, if you don’t hurry you will be late for your session with Kookheon,” a voice interrupted them. Seungwoo, a 7th year Hufflepuff and unofficial father figure of their friend group, had approached them. The older had a soft smile on his features, contradicting the teasing tone of his words. Yohan flinched and his eyes widened.

“Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, I gotta go! Hi hyung, bye hyung, bye Junho, bye Eunsang!” He jumped up and dashed from the table towards the entrance, almost stumbling over his own two feet in the process. Seungwoo turned to the 5th years, still sitting. Junho hummed to himself, rtapping his chin with his hand.

“Should I have reminded him that he left all his Quidditch gear at the field as to avoid going up to the tower after training yesterday?” he asked in feigned innocence. Seungwoo looked at him for a moment before he chuckled. 

“You really are evil sometimes, Junho." he commented and took a step backwards to peer into the Entrance hall before he turned before he turned back with a grin. "He just dashed up the staircase.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We hope you enjoyed this! 
> 
> Feel free to ask us questions and talk to us or just enjoy the moodboards on our Twitter! ♡
> 
> Twitter: [@chaos_kisses](https://twitter.com/chaos_kisses?s=09)


	2. Of Dragons, Owls and Golden Retrievers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More stories unfold, new people are met and new chaos unfolds...

Seungwoo looked at Junho. It really was a strange friendship between Yohan and Junho but beautiful nonetheless. Despite their opposite personalities they complimented each other like puzzle pieces, balancing each other out. 

Yohan’s excited character and energy functioned like a charger on Junho; it brought him out of his shell and made him more understanding of his own feelings and personality. He calmed Yohan on the other side, a respite after his often hectic schedules and without the expectation to always keep up his happy smile. Yohan was cheerful by nature but he, as every other human being, had his bad days, sad moments or moments of frustration. He knew there were many expectations perched on his shoulders; and with it came the pressure to uphold his image. 

But Junho accepted and comforted him in his moments of weakness without hesitation, judgment or surprise. Seungwoo had once run into them, 2 years ago, in search of them in the library. When he had gotten to their favourite corner, the table - laden with books, parchment quills and empty candy wrappers (they both had a sweet tooth) - had been void of any people. As his eyes had scanned the corner he had noticed something underneath the window sill. He had carefully rounded the table to see the two boys sitting on the floor: Yohan’s knees to his chest, face buried in Junho’s robes, breathing calmly and seemingly alright if it weren’t for the tear tracks on his cheek.

Junho had slowly looked up to Seungwoo’s face and smiled. It was a smile not many got to see. Small but with an indisputable fondness in his eyes. His whole expression was soft and open - vulnerable. Seungwoo sat down next to Junho and glanced at Yohan with a questioning look, then back at Junho. Junho offered him a troubled look, lips stretched thin and forehead in slight wrinkles. 

“He came to the library later than usual,” he whispered as to not wake the boy sleeping on his chest. “Apparently someone had dropped their books and Yohan had helped them pick them up, until someone started provoking him in some way. He told me he knew they were talking nonsense but it was still frustrating.”

“I noticed he’s been stressed lately,” Seungwoo had added. “That probably pitched in.” 

Junho had nodded. “He’s had a lot on his plate and this made him reach his breaking point again. He started pacing and got really worked up until he just sat down at the wall and started crying.” Seungwoo had nodded along. He carefully hadn’t mentioned how Junho said he didn’t reach his breaking point_ again _; this obviously wasn’t the first time of Junho comforting Yohan. 

People might say Yohan was Junho’s pillar but actually neither held the other up. But they caught each other, before or after the fall, and helped each other get up again. They could both stand on their own but depended on each other’s support too. Seungwoo had been surprised for it to be this way. 

“Hyung? Hyung?” He was pulled out of his thoughts by Junho waving his hand in front of his face. He smiled at the other boy, signalling his attention. 

“As I already said before you spaced out on me, I’m going to leave with Eunsang. Are you coming or not?” Junho might sound sassy but the tiny smile in the corner of his lips told him about the amusement of the other boy, with no actual annoyance. 

“No, I haven’t eaten yet, so I’m gonna stay. Have a nice evening, you two!” he replied to Junho’s question and directed a smile at first him and the Eunsang. They both bid him goodbye and made their way towards the entrance of the great hall, whilst Seungwoo spun around, eyes automatically searching the Hufflepuff table for a certain face, until he remembered that he wouldn’t find it. He recognised many but the one person he was looking for was missing. A kind smile and features resembling a Shiba Inu flashed through his mind, bringing a fond and somewhat sad smile to his face. 

He tried to shake off his thoughts and looked at the Gryffindor table instead. He didn’t see Jinhyuk but Byungchan was there. He made his way over and plopped on the bench next to the lanky 6th year, who got startled. 

“Seungwoo-hyung! You surprised me there!” Byungchan looked at him with a smile. “Not that I don’t want you at our table but why are you here?” Seungwoo looked at him through his bangs, a bashful smile showing his dimples.

“It felt a bit lonely at our table,” he said. Byungchan looked over at the table, then back and Seungwoo. 

“I know you miss him. Did you hear from him recently?” Byungchan asked, a comforting smile on his face. Seungwoo shook his head.

“I haven’t gotten a reply yet but Ophiuchus takes a while to deliver the letters. Understandably, Japan is on the other side of the globe. But still.” He looked up at Byungchan with hopeful eyes. “Did you hear from him?” Byungchan started giggling. 

“Hyung, you looked like a Golden Retriever right now, puppy eyes and all. You just needed a wagging tail!” Byungchan snickered and looked up again. “But no, I haven’t heard from him either but he’s also not my boyfriend.” He started giggling again, when Seungwoo blushed and looked down.

“Seungsik will reply soon, don’t worry. Now eat some dinner, your stomach has been growling at me since you sat down and it sounds less like a puppy and more like a cerberus.” Seungwoo snorted and and started on his food. 

Just as he had finished a few spoons full of stew, a small body snuggled onto his side. He looked down and saw big doe eyes and heart shaped lips in a face that could only be described as adorable. He automatically cooed and rubbed his cheek against the fluffy black hair. The tiny boy giggled.

“Hey Hyung,” Dongpyo greeted him. He seemed tired as he reached for the potatoes, barely grabbing and almost dropping them. Seungwoo took it from him and put some on his plate, adding a ladle of stew after. It earned him a thankful smile as the boy started eating, still close to his side. Seungwoo continued with his dinner but glanced down occasionally at the boy that was like a son to him. He must’ve had an exhausting day - classes always tired him out.

.oO°Oo.

Seungwoo was known as a very affectionate person among his friends. Kind and helpful he always looked out for them, especially the younger ones, had patiently listened to their problems or just played along with their antics. His friendly nature would lead him to contact with many people.

He met Yohan this way. The boy had been a first year and got lost on his way to the Great Hall on the first morning. Seungwoo found him when he walked through a secret corridor to avoid a trap Peeves made on the direct route from the Hufflepuff Common Room to the Entrance hall. He exited the secret path and almost collided with a shrieking 1st year who promptly fell on his butt, looking up at him with wide eyes. 

“I’m lost,” was all he said, probably still dumbfounded to have run into someone here. It was a very empty part of the 1st basement floor and hardly anyone passed by here. Seungwoo chuckled.

“Well, I found you. I can show you the way to the Great Hall if you want to?” He stretched out a hand towards the stunned boy, who suddenly seemed to spring to life and grabbed it, standing up quickly.

“You are my saviour! I didn’t know where I was and then the staircase changed direction and I asked a painting and it sent me some way and, yeah, so I ended up here. By the way I’m Kim Yohan, Gryffindor. I’m a first year!” The boy, Yohan, continued rambling, as Seungwoo nodded along, smiling. He started walking with the boy in tow as he chattered on. The surprise on Yohan’s face was almost comical after they rounded the second corner and climbed a staircase just to arrive at the entrance hall.

“That was closer than I thought!” he exclaimed and turned to Seungwoo. “I’m really thankful!”

“No problem. I’m Seungwoo, by the way, 2nd year from Hufflepuff. Nice to meet you.” Yohan smiled again. 

“So Hufflepuffs really are as kind as the others told me. Thank you so much!” Seungwoo smiled and pushed the boy gently into the Hall - breakfast was ending soon. Yohan bid him goodbye there and they parted ways, until Seungwoo found himself with an armful of Gryffindor when he sat down for dinner. His last class of the day had been potions with the Lion House and he had chatted with Jinhyuk after finishing their potion, automatically following the slightly younger to his table.

Now, he had a pair of excited puppy eyes looking up at him from where the body had latched onto his arm - Yohan seemed thrilled to see him and, after introducing Jinhyuk to Yohan, the 1st year told them all about his day. Jinhyuk had laughed at the fondness in Seungwoo’s eyes but had been enamoured by his bubbly housemate in record time too. 

From there on, Yohan approached him often, asking for directions and Seungwoo’s advice on a regular basis. The younger became a close friend, one he cherished very much for his personality and brightness, giving as much affection and care as he could to everyone he befriended. When he became friends with Junho, Seungwoo accepted the shy boy with open arms - why wouldn’t he after all? He was adorable.

Which is a predicament his friends constantly tease him about. Han Seungwoo loved cute things. Cute people. And not in a creepy way. He just needed a way to release all his affection. So he became like a dragon with gold. He loved it, hoarded it, protected it and took care of it lovingly. The only difference was that his treasure were ‘children’ he ‘adopted’. So less like a dragon and more like an overgrown Golden Retriever. But just like a dragon he had his one treasure he adored most amongst his children.

It came during Seungwoo’s fourth year in the form of Son Dongpyo. A lively Gryffindor first year, tiny, adorable, loud, cute, with big eyes and a quick mouth. Seungwoo’s first thought was something along the lines of ‘Must Adopt!’. Not that he would admit this to anyone. But his friend and fellow 4th year at that time ,Jinhyuk, noticed his look immediately when Seungwoo looked at the tiny bundle of a Gryffindor as he spoke to Seungwoo’s housmate Seungsik. Jinhyuk grinned.

“You know, Seungsik is tutoring him in Charms.” Seungwoo looked at him, confused what he was talking about. “The little boy, Dongpyo. He’s adorable, but he has way too much energy. So much swooshing and swishing he made the feather explode when practising Wingardium Leviosa.”

Seungwoo looked at him, dumbfounded, making Jinhyuk laugh. He looked towards Dongpyo again and met his gaze this time. He couldn’t help but smile fondly, albeit a bit surprised because Dongpyo looked at him somewhat sceptical and mistrustful before turning around and leaving the Hall. 

He didn’t see him again, only in passing, until a few weeks later when he entered the owlery. He had heard some shrieking on the stairs already and arrived at the door to see a scared looking Dongpyo against the far wall and an excited and large black eagle owl fluttering around the doorway, releasing shrieks now and again. One look at the owl made the situation clear to him.

“Aristotle, are you scaring people again?” he asked. The owl noticed him and fluttered towards him, circling and landing on his shoulder eventually. He shuhued excitedly, stubbing his beak against Seungwoo’s head and turning his head in weird angles to look at him. Seungwoo chuckled at the bird’s antics until he started picking at his cloak.

“Yes, I brought you treats but don’t pick on children again.” Aristotle looked at him and tilted his head. Seungwoo pointed at the still scared Dongpyo. “See that? That’s a no. Don’t scare people, alright?” He held a treat out to Aristotle who took it from him, almost nicking his finger and fluttered up into the timberwork above them. 

“Uuuhmm…,” a small voice said beside him. “Thanks for helping me.” Seungwoo looked down at Dongpyo (he really was tiny) and smiled comfortingly at him. 

“No problem. Aristotle gets way to excited, but he’s usually really nice to be around.”

“You know… you are talking about him like a human. But he’s an owl.” Seungwoo raised an eyebrow, not knowing where Dongpyo was going with this. “Why were you talking to him like a human? I mean he can’t understand you, can he?” Seungwoo smiled.

“Don’t underestimate owls, they are much smarter than they might look. You know, just because animals don’t speak it doesn’t mean they don’t communicate with us or understand us.” Seungwoo could see the confusion on Dongpyo’s face. “They just look at different things. Just for comparison, how would you express how you are feeling right now?” 

“Well, nervous and scared and I don’t know, what are you trying to tell me?” the boy asked, gesticulating, stepping from side to side and glancing around anxiously. His pitch rose and his voice became louder, laced with confusion and some frustration.

“Well, you just used your whole body to express this - you walked around, waved your hands, spoke louder and with a different tone of voice,” Seungwoo explained. “And now have a look at the owls around you. See that old barn owl next to you?” He pointed at a beautiful white and beige owl that sat on a low beam and slowly hopped closer. The beams spanned across the room, enabling the owls to come close if they wanted to. The barn owl flew to a lower beam, on face height with Dongpyo and hoped closer.

“That’s Sybil. She’s very sensitive. Listen! Do you hear that?” Quiet shuhus filled the room. “She’s trying to calm you down. Stretch out your arm a bit and don’t flinch,” Seungwoo told Dongpyo. 

Dongpyo bit his lips and looked a little indecisive before slowly stretching out his arm in the direction of the owl. Sybil took flight and sailed towards him before softly landing on his shoulder. She was still heavy for the small boy, so Seungwoo grabbed his elbow and steadied him. Dongpyo turned his head towards the owl on his shoulder to look at it. Close up, he could see its soft eyes, looking at him knowingly but without any threat. She turned her head away and out of his vision before he felt something tugging softly at his dark locks, the calming sound of her shuhu filling the room once again.

A smile appeared on Dongpyo’s face, his eyes closing as he turned his head to nuzzle into the Sybil’s soft feather. After a moment he looked at Seungwoo, the smile not leaving his lips and his eyes open now. Seungwoo smiled back. It seemed he had earned the trust of the boy.

.oO°Oo.

A banging sound pulled him out of his thoughts again. He looked up from his now empty plate at Dongpyo who seemed as confused. The boy warmed up to him after their encounter at the owlery, accepting his friendship and affection as a quirk of his character. He had even started calling him ‘Dad’ jokingly; occasions that were hilarious for everyone around because of Seungwoo’s whipped look whenever Dongpyo called him that. Even with their age difference they knew they could rely on each other. Dongpyo probably understood him best, regarding Seungsik….

Another loud bang brought him back to reality. What was going on in the entrance hall? He got up from his seat and went towards the door, followed by Byungchan and Dongpyo. The sky of the Hall displayed a beautiful sight of the sunset, pink and violet swirling into each other, with blue seeping into it. Upon reaching the doorway he pulled his eyes away from the ceiling and towards the source of the sounds at the top of the Grand Staircase. His eyes met a peculiar sight.

“Is that,” Byungchan asked beside him “the scene from Titanic?” 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We hope you enjoyed this! 
> 
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	3. Always Handle Metal with Care and Thought

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New people are introduced, and new understandings created

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go again, this time with new people! 
> 
> The spells that are mentioned in this Chapter are products of my own imagination, and I forgot pretty much everything I never knew about Latin grammar in the first place, so don't be too strict with me. I hope you enjoy it!

The view in the entrance hall was truly…. special. 

When exiting the Great Hall, students found themselves in the entrance hall, with the main gates to their left and the stairs to their right. The entrance hall was an open space with the grand staircase ascending from it to the 1st floor, arching into two balustrades leading to the hallways. Like every other wall in Hogwarts, the walls were hung with paintings and torches every few steps, armours filling nooks in walls and some corners. 

Two of those armours were currently hanging precariously over the edge of the balustrade next to the stairs, a few metres left from the entrance to the great hall, above the corridor leading towards the stairs to the lower levels. One armour was standing on the ledge of the railing, arms stretched to the side and leaned slightly forward. A second was standing behind it, trying to hold its waist but slipping because of its polished metal gloves. 

The view was further enhanced by Peeves, sailing and flipping through the air around them, playing a horrible rendition of ‘My Heart will go on’ on an off-key recorder. Just as he started the chorus, two voices joined him and belted out the lines to the song, egging Peeves on. 

The instigator of this whole chaos looked thoroughly pleased with himself. Lee Jinhyuk waved his wand around a bit to stabilise the enchanted armours whilst grinning at the situation unfolding before him: Yunseong and Donghyun, two 6th years from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff had helped him set this up and were now engrossed in doing the back up vocals and free ad-libs to Peeves recorder playing. They were standing some steps to the side of the still swaying armours against the railing, dramatically clutching their hearts and waving their hands to emphasise the dramatic song. 

Jinhyuk started chuckling; they were doing a great job. It had originally been their idea to enchant the armour to sing it, but they were unsure about the spell and had come to Jinhyuk instead. The 7th year Gryffindor was known for his constant pranking and competence in conjuring up spells to make them work. He had been amused with their idea and proposed a whole cover of the famous movie scene and what would be better than the entrance hall at sunset, with the light from the main entrance shining through the open doors and right onto the balustrade? 

Getting Peeves on board had been easy and Jinhyuk knew where to find him. So here they were. Jinhyuk had enchanted the armours to walk from their respective corner to the railing and had one climb onto it. They were swaying very much by now, Peeves racing through the air, his loopings and turns getting riskier every time, closer to the armours. Jinhyuk waved his wand again to stabilise them and peered down at the entrance hall where students had started to gather to watch the spectacle.

He could see his friend Seungwoo emerge from the hall, followed by Byungchan and Dongpyo, who clasped Seungwoo’s hand and gasped in surprise. Byungchan seemed confused for a second, saying something to Seungwoo before a wide grin stretched across his face and he started laughing. Jinhyuk looked at his handiwork – and saw a piece of the armour playing Jack falling. It’s glove. 

He tried to recast the spell, but it was too late. The ‘Rose’ armour slipped out of the now loose grip, pulling pieces of the ‘Jack’ armour with it, plummeting towards the ground. Jinhyuk’s eyes widened and he heard Donghyun mutter something along the lines of ‘Oh shit’ as he watched the pieces of metal fall.

Suddenly, they stopped, levitating mid-air. Then they slowly started to regain height, reassembling at the same time. The ripped apart ‘Jack’ armour reattached its glove to its arm and found the breast part, re-joining with the lower body on the balustrade. The ‘Rose’ armour landed next to it and stopped all movement, perfectly still.

Silence had fallen over the entrance hall as Jinhyuk looked into the wide eyes of his accomplices. Donghyun was staring at the armours with an open mouth, obviously surprised by what had just transpired. Yunseong though was looking over Jinhyuk’s shoulder, lower lips pulled beneath his teeth and his eyes wide. Peeves had vanished.

Jinhyuk sighed and turned around in a flourish, robes flying around him and a charming smile etched upon his features. He scanned the hallways behind him until his eyes fell upon the person Yunseong had looked at. Jinhyuk’s smile widened. 

Behind him stood the head boy, a Ravenclaw and fellow 7th year. Almost a head smaller and with big eyes, he looked more like an angry kitten to Jinhyuk than an actual threat. He was holding out his wand in front of him, pointed at the armours and adjusted the round glasses perched on his small nose. His eyes fell upon the troublemaker and his gaze hardened.

“Hi there, Wooseok!” Jinhyuk greeted him. Instead of answering, Wooseok flicked his wrist and steps could be heard when the amours walked back to their original places. One of them passed Jinhyuk and whacked his head with an iron fist. The boy winced and rubbed the back of his head.

“What were you thinking?!” an angry voice asked. Jinhyuk looked up and smiled.

“Fancy seeing you here!” he replied.

“What. Were. You. Thinking!?” Wooseok emphasised each word by taking a step forward in Jinhyuk’s direction. Jinhyuk heard shuffling behind him – seemed like his two accomplices were retreating. Wooseok ignored them.

“Oh come on, the singing wasn’t that bad! I mean, sure, those two could have worked on their harmonisation a bit, but still.”

“This could’ve been dangerous! What am I saying - this was dangerous! You could’ve hurt people!” Wooseok was now standing right in front of Jinhyuk. His eyes were on his chin height, looking up at him and narrowed with anger. Jinhyuk held up his hands in defence.

“I had it under control.”

“No, you didn’t! The armour parts where falling! They could’ve hit students!” Wooseok was getting louder with each word.

“I wasn’t-” Jinhyuk started but he was interrupted.

“You weren’t thinking, that’s what you were! You and all your pranks!” Wooseok was almost shouting by now. The head boy seemed incredibly angry.

“Mr. Kim is right. Mr Lee, I will see you in detention tomorrow.” A new voice, quiet but tone indisputable, joined them and Jinhyuk groaned inwardly. One of their Professors for Care of Magical creatures, Professor Im Nayoung, had stepped up behind them. 

Her face was expressionless, but her eyes were fixed on Jinhyuk, a silent anger visible in them; she wouldn’t yield to any discussion, her words were final. She turned around and walked down the stairs, dispersing students with a few words. Her long hair was flowing down her back in black waves and she looked both intimidating and beautiful. Students knew about her generally lenient nature, but one should never cross her. 

Jinhyuk sighed and turned back to Wooseok, who looked at him for a moment and then turned around, storming off into the castle. Jinhyuk’s eyes remained fixed on his back until Wooseok rounded a corner and Seungwoo’s voice sounded behind him. 

“You are an idiot.” There was a faint tinge of amusement lacing his friend’s words and he turned to him, smile spreading over his face again. 

“I am. But it was worth it.” 

Seungwoo chuckled.

“If you say so.”

.oO°Oo.

Despite his words, Jinhyuk spent the whole next day dreading his detention in the evening. Donghyun and Yunseong had come up in the morning at breakfast to apologise for leaving him alone and offering to speak to Professor Im, but Jinhyuk didn’t want those two to get in trouble too. And if Wooseok hadn’t mentioned them to their Professor, Jinhyuk definitely wouldn’t.

Wooseok hadn’t left his thoughts since yesterday evening. He had brushed the whole episode off as a joke on the outside, but he couldn’t forget the slightly younger boy’s eyes. Before he turned around Jinhyuk had seen anger in them, and something resembling disappointment. Replaying the picture in his head, the Gryffindor grabbed his bag and headed to his last class of the day: History of magic with Slytherin. 

Upon entering the classroom, he was greeted by the grinning face of Seungyeon, one of his friends from Slytherin. Seungyeon’s happy personality and easy-going behaviour was nice to be around and behind his smiling eyes hid an unexpected insight into people’s thoughts. He immediately seemed to catch on to Jinhyuk’s mood and looked at him questioningly. 

“What’s with you today? Did Byungchan put something slimy under your pillow again?” he asked and Jinhyuk cringed automatically at the memory. Byungchan had decided to make him the target of a plan that involved way too much slime (the one muggles were into these days, god knows why) and charmed it to move on its own and grow. The tiny little blob had gone unnoticed in the evening, but Jinhyuk had woken up with his face smashed into neon green goo and had screamed. Very loud and very high. Not his proudest moment or most pleasant memory, especially because he found new goo globs in his hair and around his bed for days, as they continued growing, until Kookheon had taken mercy on him and stopped the spell. 

“Naaahh, nothing like that, thank god. I’m just stuck with detention,” he finally answered Seungyeon’s question as he dropped his bag next to the chair and slid into his seat next to the Slytherin. 

“Because of the stunt you pulled yesterday? Seungwoo told me about it.” Seungyeon turned to look at him.

“Yeah, exactly.”

“But you’re usually not bothered by detention. What got your knickers into a knot about it?” his friend asked incredulously.

“I… just haven’t slept too much. I just don’t wanna waste precious free time in detention, but I guess it could be worse….,” Jinhyuk answered hesitantly. Seungyeon was right; he usually took detention easy and it wasn’t like this was too bad, considering the furious look in Wooseok’s eyes. But still, there was something on his mind. 

Seungyeon opened his mouth to question him further when Professor Ha Sungwoon entered the room. He marched to the front, humming a jolly tune and climbed on his book stack. He was all but tall, but instead of using a pedestal or a table, he preferred a stack of books, that started swaying dangerously whenever Professor Ha became too excited about a topic. As he was a very passionate teacher and historian this would happen often, but somehow the stack would bend at ridiculous angles and still not fall – making their Professor look a bit like a clown in a box, popping up and moving around. 

As he started his lecture, most students took notes. Since he replaced Professor Bins (who eventually decided to join his body in the afterlife), the peace and quiet of sleepy History of Magic lessons were gone. Professor Ha’s voice was high pitched and he was way too loud for anyone to catch sleep or be distracted for long.

Still, Jinhyuk’s thoughts started to wander.

.oO°Oo.

Back in fifth year he had had a brilliant idea. Well, not just him. Originally, Byungchan had been joking around about charming the Quidditch balls to something different to have them change into a different object every time someone touched them. They figured out, however, that they both weren’t able to cast a spell like this. So a change of plans was made and sparkles in different colours needed to do. 

Jinhyuk had slipped into the Quidditch coaches office with no problems at all. Kang Daniel was Gryffindor’s Head of House after all and they all knew when he would definitely not be in his office but off to see Professor Ong of Slytherin. So Jinhyuk snuck through the door and looked for the chest he knew the balls would be kept in. 

It was easy to find: a medium size wooden chest in the corner under a window. He grinned and approached the chest, kneeling down in front of it. Upon trying to open it, he noticed it was locked but he quickly solved that with a mumbled ‘Alohomora’ and lifted the lid.

The Quaffle was framed by the two Bludgers, which started twitching upon opening, trying to escape their bindings. A quick look over his shoulder assured him he was still alone. He pointed his wand at the quaffle.

“Scintillam variatum,” he mumbled. The Quaffle glowed and gave off some colourful sparks. Jinhyuk grinned – the spell worked. He repeated the procedure on the Bludgers and then centred his attention on the little pocket on the inside of the lid where the Snitch was hidden. He carefully stretched out his hand towards it.

“Stop!” a voice said behind him. “What are you doing?” The baritone of the voice grew higher and more anxious with each word. Jinhyuk had flinched upon hearing it and turned around now to face the intruder. But he needed all his brain capacity when he saw the other person to keep his face in check. The possibly most adorable being he knew (apart from Dongpyo) was standing in the doorway and looking at him with wide eyes. Jinhyuk inwardly sighed.

Kim Wooseok was Ravenclaw’s prefect, in Jinhyuk’s year and absolutely adorable. Whilst Jinhyuk had hit his growth spurt last year, Wooseok was a head smaller than Jinhyuk. He had a pointy face with delicate features, big eyes and a small nose – making him look like a kitten. Jinhyuk didn’t have much to do with him outside of class, where they sometimes had been assigned as partners, but he knew the other boy was diligent and hardworking with a kind nature.

Not much kindness was directed at Jinhyuk through those eyes right now as Wooseok stared at him with suspicion. He tried to smile.

“Ehm. I was just. I.” Work brain, damnit! “I was….,” he trailed off.

“Are you trying to hex the Quidditch balls and sabotage the game?” Wooseok seemed shocked. “But it’s your own house playing!”

Jinhyuk lifted his hands and shook his head erratically. 

“No, no, no, no, no, I wasn’t doing that, I promise! I was doing something else!” he whisper-shouted. Wooseok didn’t look convinced though.

“But you tried to touch the snitch,” he said. Jinhyuk looked at him, not understanding what he was trying to say. 

“No one is allowed to touch a snitch before a game, not even the smith that makes it!” Wooseok continued. Jinhyuk still looked lost. Wooseok sighed when he saw his face and came closer, obviously distracted from the situation of catching Jinhyuk in a teacher’s office, fiddling with Quidditch balls.

“A snitch remembers the first person that touches it and can be used by them, to be used a storing device or to return to them. It says in the History of Hogwarts the Professor Dumbledore hid the Stone of Resurrection in the snitch Harry Potter caught in his first game so only he could open it…” Wooseok seemed to trail off in his thoughts as he stared at the box where the snitch was still hidden until his eyes suddenly widened. He looked up and pointed a finger at Jinhyuk accusingly. 

“You are the Gryffindor’s keeper! You wanted to touch the snitch and enchant it so that it returns to you during the game! This way your seeker can catch it easily by just staying around your goal posts!” Wooseok’s voice was growing louder as he spoke, and he looked back at the door and took a step towards it.

Jinhyuk got up and launched at him, clasping his hand over his mouth and holding the boy still with his other arm, pressing him against his body. Steps were audible in the corridor and he tried to calm his wildly beating heart as he listened. The steps became quieter – the person had left the corridor. Jinhyuk sighed in relief and looked down at Wooseok, who was still struggling against his grip. Angry cat eyes met his. The smaller boy was almost going cross eyed as he looked at him. 

“You are completely wrong about what I’m doing, honestly!” Jinhyuk pleaded quietly. “I didn’t even know about the snitch thing until you told me and if I had known, I wouldn’t have resorted to something like that anyway.” He almost spat out the last part. If his team was to win, then due to their own ability. 

“I’ll explain everything but please keep quiet, okay?” he asked the furious prefect. Wooseok hesitated for a bit, eyes flitting around. After a few moments he stilled and nodded under Jinhyuk’s hand. Jinhyuk smiled and let go of him, taking a step back for his own safety. Wooseok wiped his mouth with his robe and Jinhyuk winced. His hands had been sweaty from nervousness. 

“Alright, try to explain yourself,” Wooseok spat. Jinhyuk grinned.

“Alright, so I was planning a prank.” Wooseok narrowed his eyes again and Jinhyuk waved his hands around again. 

“No, nothing bad! Just something to make the game a bit more colourful!” He took a step towards the chest again.

“I charmed the balls to give off differently coloured sparks every time they are touched or change hands. Nothing hurtful, I even tried them! The sparks don’t burn or anything, they just look nice and sparkly!”

Wooseok didn’t look convinced, so Jinhyuk pointed at the chest.

“Try for yourself! As I understood, the no-touching rule only applies to the Snitch, right?” Wooseok nodded at this. 

“Then you can touch any of the balls!” Wooseok still seemed suspicious. Jinhyuk sighed and knelt next to the chest again. 

“Alright look.” He lightly tapped the Quaffle with his pointer finger and it gave off blue sparkles. He tapped several times and the sparks changed through the colours of the rainbow, occasionally adding silver and golden into the mix. Wooseok seemed stunned, a small smile slowly spreading on his face. Jinhyuk grinned widely at him, eyes almost vanishing into crescents. 

Wooseok approached the chest, crouched down and slowly stretched out his hand. He hesitated for a moment before he touched the Quaffle too, shooting off red sparks. Jinhyuk watched as the smile reached his eyes and he opened his mouth a little, releasing a quiet giggle. Jinhyuk squealed on the inside. Wooseok was adorable.

“If I am not allowed to touch the Snitch I should leave it like this. I don’t want to spoil the game”, Jinhyuk said quietly. Wooseok furrowed his brows, forehead wrinkly in thought. He pushed up his glasses and looked at Jinhyuk.

“Well, we could…,” he started slowly. Jinhyuk looked at him expectantly. Wooseok cleared his throat and looked at the chest. “We could bind the snitch with a spell, whilst the other casts the sparkle spell. This way he isn’t contaminated by touch but your… surprise would still be complete.” A light red had started to spread on his cheeks and he looked Jinhyuk who stared at him with his mouth agape.

“What?” Wooseok asked, face turning scarlet. Jinhyuk closed his mouth and smiled again.

“That’s a great idea! Could you do the holding spell and I do the sparkles?”, he asked excitedly, grabbing Wooseok’s shoulder. The smaller boy nodded and looked back at the chest. He pulled his wand out of his pocket and pointed it at the little pocket, then nodded at Jinhyuk.

“Open it.” 

Jinhyuk grabbed the little handle and pulled it open just as Wooseok mumbled ‘Consiste’ and the Snitch trying to flutter stopped all movement. Jinhyuk cast the sparkle spell and closed the lid to the pocket holding the snitch again carefully. He smiled and looked at Wooseok.

“Are you going to rat me out?” he asked grinning. Wooseok looked torn. Jinhyuk continued. 

“Look, I wouldn’t blame you. I was neither allowed in here nor am I allowed to charm the balls. But I wasn’t doing anything bad per se. You decide, I won’t hold it against you.” He really wouldn’t. Wooseok was a prefect and he had caught him in here. He hadn’t called a teacher so far but handled it himself, so he didn’t seem to be someone looking for people to punish. Jinhyuk crossed his fingers secretly. 

“I won’t.” Jinhyuk looked at the smaller. Wooseok looked determined. “You weren’t doing anything wrong or trying to harm anyone. I won’t tell.” He looked at Jinhyuk. 

“But if I catch you again, you won’t get off as lucky,” he threatened. Jinhyuk grinned and had gotten up, reaching out his hand to Wooseok still on the floor. The Ravenclaw looked at it before grabbing it and pulling himself up and walking to the door, where he turned around. 

“I never saw you here. I don’t know anything about it.”

Wooseok’s smile seemed amused at the sparkles bursting from the Quidditch balls on the next day, but Jinhyuk saw the glint in his eyes. Their gazes met for a moment and Wooseok nodded at him, before cheering for Hufflepuff, who just scored a goal. Jinhyuk had missed the opponent’s approach, concentrated on Wooseok, and cursed at himself before returning to his goal posts and preparing for the next attack. He needed to win this.

.oO°Oo.

“Now, while I am aware that not all my student’s take an interest in historical events, it still seems somewhat rude to not react to your teacher standing right in front of you, Mr Lee.”

Jinhyuk flinched and looked up from his empty notebook at Professor Ha right in front of him. His books had stretched themselves into an arc spanning across the first few rows, dangling his teacher right in front of Jinhyuk and seemingly unaffected by the pull of gravity. Jinhyuk realised he must have spaced out for a while for Professor Ha to approach him.

“I’m really sorry, Professor. I got distracted for a second here.”, he said, trying to sound remorseful. Professor Ha raised an eyebrow at him and sighed.

“Weeeeeeelllll,” he drawled while his books re-situated themselves and him at the front of the classroom. “We all have our days where we miss a certain sparkle.” He looked pointedly at Jinhyuk. 

“Last chance.” Jinhyuk nodded.

“Yes, sir.” He spent the rest of the lesson taking notes but his thoughts returned to the Ravenclaw prefect and current headboy again and again. Their ways hadn’t parted after their joined efforts to charm the Quidditch balls. Well, at least Jinhyuk had tried not to have them part.

He had started doing his pranks around areas he knew Wooseok was at just to see him. He didn’t do harmful pranks, just some effects, maybe a little spell here and there, but it attracted attention of the prefects. A certain perfect who had at some point started to let him off easy or just turned around when he saw Jinhyuk fleeing the crime scene and let him pass, even after becoming head boy in 7th year. Jinhyuk was happy about it and it had brought them into little conversations now and then, inside and outside of class. 

Jinhyuk pondered over his thoughts when Yohan’s voice interrupted him. 

“Hyung, I don’t know what your tea did to you, but the food is not responsible for your detention.” Jinhyuk looked up at Yohan, who was sitting opposite from him at the house table. Somehow, Jinhyuk had apparently made his way from class to dinner without falling down a flight of stairs while he was caught up with his thoughts. “But you’ll be late for detention if you don’t go in a few minutes.”

Jinhyuk cursed and looked at his watch. Quarter to eight. Yohan was right.

“What do you need to do?” Byungchan piped in. 

“Polishing without magic in the trophy room. To ‘learn to handle metal with care and thought’ it said in the note from Professor Im,” he air quoted. It wasn’t too bad, just lonely and boring. The boys around him nodded, amused smiles on their face.

“Well, I’ll be off then, lads.” Jinhyuk stood up and waved at them before making his way towards the entrance of the Great Hall. He trudged up the many stairs to the trophy room and opened it to Professor Im standing at the window, overlooking the premises. She turned around and pointed at a table holding the cleaning supplies before conjuring up an armchair beneath the window and sitting down in it.

“Have fun and don’t break anything”, she said before pulling a book out of her robes, opened it and started reading. Jinhyuk went to grab the cleaning supplies. This was going to be a long evening.

.oO°Oo.

He left the trophy room 3 hours later. Professor Im had conjured a tray of tea and a chair and mumbled something about keeping hydrated after about 45 min, so Jinhyuk had taken a break. He swapped between tea and cleaning; his teacher had been completely engrossed in her book. Jinhyuk probably could have left without her noticing, but he didn’t want to push his luck. So he had bid his goodbyes at eleven and left the room.

He was just entering a corridor leading towards the Gryffindor tower when he almost bumped into someone. He looked down at the other person and sighed. Wooseok. The head boy looked up at him.

“What are you doing here at this time?” He sounded slightly annoyed and Jinhyuk raised an eyebrow.

“I had detention,” he answered the question. “For being irresponsible, remember?”

Wooseok sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. 

“Listen. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have shouted at you. I was having a bad day, and you just added the last drop. But what you were doing was dangerous and I was worried and just snapped. I should be better as Headboy, but I…,” he started rambling, but Jinhyuk cut him off.

“Hey, it’s fine. Really. I understand,” he tried to calm the other.

“No, really, I…,” Wooseok started out again, but Jinhyuk cut him off again.

“Wooseok, don’t worry. I mean it. I know I was a bit reckless and I’m sorry I made your day worse but I really can’t blame you for snapping. Headboy doesn’t mean you have to be perfect, you are human after all. Not that I mean you weren’t.” Jinhyuk kicked himself inwardly and organised his thoughts.

“Okay, ignore that last bit. But the only thing I blame you for is thinking that I would endanger students.” There it was. It had bothered him the whole day and now he had said it.

“What?” Wooseok looked very confused. And very adorable. He tilted his head to the left, big eyes focused on Jinhyuk, brows a bit furrowed and lips pouted. Jinhyuk looked down at the display of perplexion and felt the need to grab Wooseok’s face between his hands to squish it. Whilst cooing. Bad train of thought. He focused his attention again.

“Did you check the ground floor?” 

“Of what?”

“The entrance hall.”

“No?” Wooseok became more and more perplexed. His eyes flitted around Jinhyuk’s face; he was probably questioning his sanity. Not that Jinhyuk could blame him for that. He observed Wooseok for a second before he made a decision and grabbed the petite boy’s hand.

“Then follow me”, he threw over his shoulder, not leaving any room for protest as he took off in the direction of the Great Hall. Wooseok stumbled behind him, spluttering in mild bafflement at his boldness. Jinhyuk had set a fast pace and Wooseok had instinctively held on to his hand, so he wouldn’t trip and fall. Jinhyuk didn’t look, but he liked the feeling of the small hand he was holding. It’s owner, however, had found his voice again.

“What are you..? It’s the middle of the night, you can’t just…! Jinhyuk, I’m talking to you!” he hissed at the Gryffindor, who didn’t seem fazed. 

“But I got the headboy with me, nothing can go wrong!” he said in a honeyed voice, still not slowing down. “I’m perfectly fine! Oh, here we are!”

The had reached the top of the Grand Staircase. Jinhyuk pulled a baffled but tame Wooseok to the balustrade, leaned against it sideways and peered down at the somewhat disoriented Ravenclaw. He reluctantly let go of the other’s hand to hand him a small notebook he had in his robes. Wooseok took it and looked at the cover, then at Jinhyuk.

“’Jinhyukie’s favourite secret diary’?” he read in disbelieving tone, tinged with amusement. Jinhyuk cursed.

“Ignore that, Dongpyo must’ve taken it again. It’s just a notebook,” he said quickly. Then he pointed towards the floor of the entrance hall. 

“Drop it.” Wooseok’s amusement morphed into puzzlement again. 

“What?” he deadpanned. “Why would I do that to Jinhyukie’s favourite secret diary?”

Jinhyuk felt a faint warmth on his cheeks and was glad for the darkness hiding a potential blush but he smiled slightly at the nickname Wooseok had used. 

“Just do it. Trust Jinhyukie for a second here,” he said, searching Wooseok’s gaze. The other still seemed unconvinced.

“But why?” he asked.

“Just.. for once trust me!” Jinhyuk grabbed the smaller boys arm slightly beneath the wrist and moved the hand holding the notebook towards the railing. He stopped after a few centimetres, keeping his grip loose to give the other the chance to pull away. Wooseok looked at the railing, the notebook and then Jinhyuk’s hand.

When he looked up their eyes met. Jinhyuk felt like he was looking at magnets. He didn’t want to look away, but he was almost sure he couldn’t if he wanted to either. Wooseok’s large brown eyes were pulling him in and he took a small step forward before catching and stopping himself. Their gazes kept connected. 

He slowly peeled his eyes from the intense look of the Ravenclaw and let it wander over the other’s face instead. The moonlight was falling on them, making him seem paler than he was. His bangs fell down to his eyebrows and his mouth was small, lips plush and there went his concentration again. He looked back at Wooseok’s eyes, noticing a light blush adorning his cheeks now. 

“Alright.” 

It took him a moment to understand what he meant. Wooseok turned towards the railing and lightly threw the notebook over it in one small movement, taking a step closer at the same time. Jinhyuk followed, standing closely beside him, his body still turned towards the other. 

The book fell, turning around a few times until it stopped abruptly two metres above the floor. It hung there, unmoving. Jinhyuk pulled out his wand and waved it. Suddenly, a silver net appeared under the book. It was spanning the whole way from the staircase to the wall next to the Great Hall’s entrance. 

“Accio Notebook.” As the small object flew up, Jinhyuk caught the notebook and pointed his wand at the net. 

“Discedis.” The net vanished. Wooseok seemed genuinely baffled. It seemed to happen a lot this evening. He slowly looked up at Jinhyuk.

“There was never any danger. You _ did _ think after all.” He sounded so very surprised, Jinhyuk couldn’t help but let a smirk graze his features. He leaned down a bit.

“Well someone once taught me that you should always be prepared and take precautions because one thoughtless mistake can ruin the fun for everybody.” He smiled at a still stunned Wooseok.

“Why didn’t you say anything about it?” Wooseok asked.

“Well,” Jinhyuk began. “I tried. But you wouldn’t let me. So I had to convince you some other way. Lucky me for meeting you here at this hour,” he answered. Wooseok turned red in embarrassment. 

“I owe you an apology then. I acted rashly and I’m really sor-” “I told you it’s alright. Mistakes happen. Glad we cleared this up.” He smiled at Wooseok, who returned it this time. 

“I should take you back to your tower now.”

“Oh wow, what a gentleman, taking me home after our midnight rendezvous?” Jinhyuk asked grinning. Wooseok rolled his eyes.

“Prefect duties,” he deadpanned. “Unless you prefer meeting someone else and earning yourself more detention?” Jinhyuk blanched and shook his head. Wooseok giggled.

“Thought so. Let’s go then,” he said and turned around, Jinhyuk hot on his heels. After a moment in companionable silence Wooseok asked: “So, why were those armours balancing there? And what were Donghyun and Yunseong singing?” Jinhyuk stopped and gasped.

“You don’t know the cinematic masterpiece of Titanic?!” he asked, feigning shock. 

“Wasn’t the Titanic that ship that sank?” Wooseok asked. Jinhyuk nodded. 

“There was a movie made about it and there is this famous scene where….” He spent the rest of the way to the Gryffindor tower introducing a surprised Wooseok into the world of the Titanic movie. Only after a loud complaint of the fat lady he bid Wooseok goodbye, turning around with a smile and a ‘See you tomorrow’ to return to his common room. The smile hadn’t left his face since they started walking and was still there when he fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> On a quick note: 
> 
> Yesterday was the 1st September which means #BackToHogwarts and therefore the start of the new school term. Also, the 1st September 2019 marks #Flash1stWin ... coincidence? I THINK NOT. 
> 
> Haha.. anyway.. Welcome back Hogwarts students and Congratulations to X1 & One Its for their 1st win!
> 
> \---
> 
> We hope you enjoyed this! 
> 
> Feel free to ask us questions and talk to us or just enjoy the moodboards on our Twitter!
> 
> Twitter: [@chaos_kisses](https://twitter.com/chaos_kisses?s=09)


	4. The River Reminds Me of Something Called Morning Star

The door opened and Eunsang looked up from his book to see Wooseok enter the common room. He was smiling faintly, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. Eunsang cleared his throat and startled the older.

“You guys are still awake?” he asked.

Eunsang shrugged. He was curled up on a sofa in a blanket with a book in his lap, leaned against the armrest. Opposite of him Junho mirrored his pose. He had only looked up shortly at Wooseok and then returned to his book.

“I wasn’t tired yet and I guess Junho isn’t either.”

Wooseok nodded at this. “How was patrol? Caught many delinquents?”

Eunsang asked further with a smile. Wooseok shook his head.

“It was quiet. I didn’t meet anyone, even the teachers seemed to have gone to sleep already. And I think I’m gonna head to dreamland too.” He yawned.

“Goodnight, you two! Don’t stay up too late, alright?”

“Alright, mom, goodnight,” Eunsang replied, waving the other off. Junho lifted his head for a moment and smiled at Wooseok before going back to his book. The older turned around and walked towards the stairs leading to his dorm room. When he had disappeared out of their sight Eunsang looked at Junho.

“What are you reading there, you’re so into i-”

Junho lifted a hand, cutting him off in the middle of his sentence. He wasn’t ready for conversation yet.

Eunsang sighed and leaned back. He was used to this: A reading Junho was an occupied Junho until he finished his paragraph or chapter. Eunsang really hoped it was the former, because nothing would come between Junho and his books (except maybe a certain Gryffindor). He was in luck today because Junho closed his book after one more page.

“It’s a fantasy novel,” he answered Eunsang’s question.

“And it’s really interesting! The author invented a whole new world with nothing I had ever seen in fantasy before!”

Junho seemed really excited about it and Eunsang smiled at him. People might call his friend a robot but if you knew him, you knew he wasn’t. He was just shy and quiet at times, not really one for socialising constantly. His friendship with Yohan would remain a mystery to Eunsang forever.

“You should go to sleep soon, we got class early in the morning tomorrow,” he said. Junho sighed and moved to get up.

“Guess your right. Let’s go then.” When Eunsang remained seated, Junho looked back at him, realisation dawning in his eyes.

“You’re going out. That’s why you asked Wooseok if it was quiet.” Eunsang nodded at this. Junho was perceptive.

“Alright then. Take care and don’t stay too long either. He needs sleep too, you know,” Junho said, stretching his arms above his head and popping his shoulder joints. He smiled slightly at Eunsang before grabbing his book and heading towards the dorm rooms too. Eunsang watched him go up the stairs before he threw off the blanket and got up from the soda, heading towards the door.

He exited and carefully made his way down the stairs. It really was quiet. A peaceful quiet rather than a scary one and he started humming slightly as he made his way towards the Muggle studies classroom. He probed the knob and sighed in relief – it was open. They must’ve forgotten to lock it again.

He entered the room, closed the door carefully and turned around. It looked like a regular IT classroom in any school: rows of desks with computers on them, a beamer, some posters on the walls, a teacher’s desk. Only the setting of the castle seemed off. Eunsang made his way to the last row of tables and sat down on the floor underneath the window. He was hidden from anyone coming through the door here and he could easily hide in the shadow of the cables underneath the desk. Eunsang pulled out his phone and looked at the screen, plugging the charger into the socket next to him.

Since the last wizard war against Voldemort in the late 90s, both society and technology had taken such a leap that wizards were forced to be at least somewhat up to date with everything the muggles were inventing. Muggle-borns and Half-bloods were at an advantage compared to pure bloods, but with their time spent in Hogwarts they still missed a lot. So Muggle studies had been relegated to a compulsory subject.

An IT room had been prepared to work with computers and research new technological developments and happenings around the world. Students with phones were able to use them here to have more input. But outside this room, technology still didn’t work. Apparently, the whole IT room was a mirror of a room somewhere else and transported here because technology still wouldn’t work in a separate space in Hogwarts.

Not just the topics had changed – the teacher had too. It had become a tandem lesson shared between two teachers. Professor Hwang Minhyun, a muggle born wizard with profound technological skills, a wide knowledge on what was going on in the muggle world and who was able to fix almost any device. And Professor Kim Jaehwan, a pure-blood born wizard with chaotic tendencies, a specialty for breaking gadgets and items and a very loud voice. He was the reason for Professor Hwang’s fixing skills.

Professor Kim was also a kind of translator for everything Professor Hwang said to make it understandable for wizards with no prior experience. He chose very creative comparisons and sometimes started laughing maniacally when he tried to present something and broke a gadget again. Professor Hwang seemed calmer at first, but he was laughing, chuckling and punning all the time too once he got comfortable with a class. They were a chaotic duo, but they really knew their stuff.

Eunsang had been surprised when he came to Hogwarts to be taught about the muggle world and technology here. He was a half-blood and familiar with most things, but the perspective given was different and interesting to look at. The lack of wizard-muggle-interaction created a kaleidoscope of different impressions and a lot of confusion for wizards regarding the rapid changes in the muggle world. But they tried to keep up.

At the moment, Eunsang was glad for the IT room because of another reason: he had reception. When his phone had some more charge, he pulled up a familiar contact and pressed ‘Call’. The number was dialled and he waited, phone pressed against his ear. A crack signalled the connection.

“Erotic call service centre, hello there.” Eunsang pulled the phone from his ear and looked at the contact – it was the right one. He returned it to its original position whilst muttering a quiet ‘What the hell?’ when he heard a giggle. He smiled.

“Hey, you scared me there.”

“That’s what I was hoping for.” The smile was audible through the voice. Eunsang closed his eyes and leaned his head against the wall behind him.  
“Hey, Junghwannie. I missed you.”

.oO°Oo.

Summer after Eunsang’s 4th year at Hogwarts had started out hot and sunny. It was way too warm; England having been hit by a heat wave. The small village he lived in hadn’t been spared either and he was glad his father was able to cast a cooling spell on the house. He would’ve melted otherwise.

Eight weeks of summer holidays had only started when his mother dragged him out of his room on the first day back to meet the new neighbours. They had moved here about a month ago and his mother had befriended them easily. Now they were invited for afternoon tea and Eunsang had to tag along. He didn’t have anything else to do so he couldn’t get out of it (his mother’s stern look at an attempt of whining had shut down any protest) and they went over to the Yoon’s.

They were friendly and easy to get along with, talking in a relaxed and welcoming manner after leading them to the kitchen. But still, it was a bit awkward for Eunsang, especially when he met their son.

He had zoned out for a moment when his mother had started talking about the flowers Mrs. Yoon (“Call me Jiwon,” she had greeted him after a hug) had planted and didn’t register a voice asking, if he wanted tea or coffee, until someone nudged his side. He was left alone in the kitchen with an unfamiliar boy now.

“Tea or coffee?”

“Mmmh?” Eunsang replied confusedly. He looked around: His mother had gone to the terrace with the Yoons already whilst Eunsang had spaced out.

“Soooo?” the boy asked again. He was standing with his back to him, taking cups and saucers out of the cupboard - he must’ve nudged him in passing when he didn’t react before turning around. Eunsang realised he needed to answer.

“Eerr, tea please.”

“Alright.” The boy turned around and looked at him with a smile. He had angular features, a strong nose and fox-like eyes. His brown hair was parted and fell on his forehead. He might have seemed intimidating if not for his smile and the glint in his eyes.

“I’m Junghwan, by the way. I don’t think we’ve met before?” he said, looking straight at Eunsang. He swallowed and felt weightless for a moment, before an unusual nervousness set in. What was going on?

“We haven’t. I’m Lee Eunsang, nice to meet you,” he greeted back and smiled shyly.

“Nice to meet you too, Eunsang. Could you help me take these out?” Junghwan replied and pointed towards the tea dishes.

“Sure.” They both took what they could carry and made their way to the terrace. ‘Awkward,’ Eunsang thought. This was incredibly awkward for him. He didn’t know how to behave and what to say, so he decided he’d just stay quiet from here on until asked something. Good plan.

Eunsang had felt a bit embarrassed and quickly sat down before his mother interjected to tell him (again) how Junghwan was the same age as him, maybe they would get along well.

Junghwan and Eunsang had forced a smile at each other and tried to engage in conversation, but as they didn’t know where to start, it died down quickly until Mr. Yoon (“Jonathan,” he had stated briefly but with a kind smile) started asking questions about Eunsang’s school.

With the rise of the internet, Hogwarts now even had a fake website to give muggle-born students an excuse about their school if asked, and with this well-fabricated lie at hand, Eunsang started gushing about the nature around the school, avoiding subjects and lesson content as much as possible. Junghwan excused himself at some point to attend his piano lessons.

When Eunsang and his mother had returned home he was pleasantly surprised. Except for the awkwardness with Junghwan, they had been extremely nice and welcoming. His mother even asked his opinion over dinner later on and he had told her the same. Her beaming smile had told him all about how relieved she was.

He spent the next day indoors before deciding to go for a walk in the early evening hours when it started to cool down. He followed the main street of the village to the little river and followed the path next to it until he got to the bit were the river was littered with big stones . The water wasn’t too deep so the stones were above the surface and perfect for crossing over or, as Eunsang did, a seat in a the middle of the river. He sat down and looked down into the water. Colourful pebbles littered the riverbed and trouts swam by every now and again. It was peaceful.

He often came here during the summer. The breeze over the water was cooling and it felt freeing to be alone in an open space like this. He didn’t feel lonely here and often took a book with him or his phone to text his friends. Junho was more talkative via text then in person, so he sometimes sat there for hour texting with his friend. But for today he just enjoyed his favourite place, dangling his naked feet in the water and leaned back on his hands.

“Eunsang?”

He knew that voice. Junghwan. Eunsang turned around and saw the other boy at the riverbank, peering over. He waved. Junghwan carefully stepped on the stones and started to cross the river until he was on the rock next to Eunsang’s rock, smiling at him.

“I didn’t know anyone else came here, sorry if I interrupted you,” he said. Eunsang shook his head.

“Don’t worry about it, I just come here when I’m home to get out of the village a bit.” He had originally come here to be by himself for a bit but he made a quick decision.

“Join me?” He looked up at Junghwan, who was still standing on the rock, looking somewhat awkward. The other waved his hands and shook his head.

“I really don’t want to interrupt your downtime! I can leave, don’t worry about it.” Eunsang shook his head at the other’s words, looking amused.

“Sit down, would you? You’re making my neck hurt with me looking up at you all the time,” he retorted.

Junghwan looked stunned for a second, before he sat down slowly. Eunsang grinned and splashed his feet around in the water, feeling relief wash over him. Their first meeting had been somewhat awkward but Junghwan seemed nice and Eunsang didn’t want to scare him off immediately. This was a neutral and comfortable territory, he felt more at ease here.

“So, come here often?” he asked Junghwan looking back at him, before realising what sentence had just left his lips. He looked at the other with a slightly open mouth, looking a bit aghast at his own words, whilst Junghwan looked just as stunned for a moment. Then they both started laughing, Eunsang laying back on the rock whilst Junghwan bowed over his crossed legs and wheezed.

“Oh my god, where did that come from?” Eunsang asked no one in specific, giggles still leaving his lips.  
“Sorry, I wasn’t trying to hit on you, don’t worry,” he said grinning, turning his head on the stone into the other boy’s direction. Junghwan beamed at him, eyes scrunched up.

“It’s alright, don’t worry ‘bout it.” He relaxed his face and smirked at Eunsang. “Wouldn’t even be too bad with you doing it.” He winked exaggeratedly and Eunsang started laughing again, the other joining him.

“You did not just say that!” he panted out, ribs starting to hurt from laughing so hard. This was better than he expected but also much weirder. Junghwan seemed to think the same because he started laughing again when their eyes met. Eventually they calmed down and sat in a comfortable silence (in Eunsang’s case still on his back).

Eventually, Junghwan spoke up. “This reminds me of Ravel, somehow.”

Eunsang sat up slightly at that, leaning back on his elbows. “Which one?” he asked. Junghwan looked at him, surprise on his face at Eunsang’s lack of confusion.

“Ondine.”, he answered. “You know the little stream that starts out behind that little copse over there?” Eunsang nodded and Junghwan continued. “It goes through a lot of thickets and down some steps until it flows into the river. But it’s murmuring all the way and it really reminds me of the first part of Ondine…,” he trailed off, seeming embarrassed.

Eunsang considered his words for a second and then hummed in agreement, sitting up completely. He never thought about it this way but Junghwan was right in a way: the stream really sounded like the Ravel piece.

“I couldn’t think of anything the river here reminds me of though,” Junghwan interjected. He had started dipping his finger in the water and was drawing on the rock with it. The heat evaporated the moisture very quickly, but the boy looked unbothered by it.

“Stella del Mattino.” Junghwan looked up at this, eyebrows scrunched in confusion.

“What?” he asked. Eunsang looked back at the water, moving his feet around and watching some fishes flee.

“Stella del Mattino”, he repeated. “It’s a piece by Ludovico Einaudi. It’s name means something like morning star – not really water related, I know – but it just goes back and forth between two flowing melodies and it always seemed to fit. It’s by no means complicated, but it reminded me of the sunset here, the wind when it moves the trees over there around the general peacefulness. I don’t know, it’s just…” He didn’t know how to continue, but excitement spread on Junghwan’s face.

“I’ll give it a listen then! I’ve been thinking about which piece seemed to fit for three weeks now and I got nothing,” he replied to Eunsang. “I was surprised you knew Ravel too! He’s not that known to most people.”

“I love his complexity, even though he was a loony in person,” Eunsang answered him. “I don’t play the piano, but I’ve always loved music. And I had a lot of time on my hands these past summers, so I just listened to a lot of composers and artists." Junghwan nodded at his words.

“My mum signed me up for piano as a child and by now I am so glad – I love playing. Mostly for myself, but it just makes me incredibly happy.” A smile appeared on his face and he looked Eunsang in the eyes.

They had stayed on the rocks in the middle of the river until it was almost midnight, talking about music and their interests. Junghwan had told him about his favourite artists, what he was playing at the moment and they gushed about different styles and pieces they both enjoyed. Eunsang had been surprised at how much they had in common and told the other about his own taste and interest, going off into books at some point, changing topics as they went.

At some point they had ended up at childhood memories when Junghwan had started yawning. Eunsang had looked at his watch and noticed the time, proposing to go home as the other looked really tired by now. Junghwan had agreed and helped him up. Shoes back on feet they had walked through the dark and quiet village, only the stars above them, still talking.

When they had reached Eunsang’s gate, he had turned to the other and smiled again.

“I enjoyed this a lot. I don’t know many I could talk to like this about music,” he had said, searching Junghwan’s gaze, who held it. The other had nodded.

“Maybe we could meet up again?” Junghwan had asked. “We still have a lot of summer holidays left and I don’t really know anyone around here and I really enjoyed this too, so I mean…”

He had taken a deep breath, looking away for a second, before reconnecting their eyes. “Could I have your number? To make contacting you a bit easier I mean.”

Eunsang had smiled and nodded, reaching into his pocket to take out his phone and pull up a new contact to have the other enter his. After pressing ‘save’ and ‘Call’ the others phone had rung, eliciting a smile a smile from him.

“Alright then, I’ll go to bed. I guess I’ll see you in a bit?”, Eunsang had asked with a tilt of his head. Junghwan had nodded at him and smiled.

“I’ll contact you. Sleep well, Eunsang!”

“You too.”

They had headed into their respective houses after that. Eunsang had fallen asleep almost immediately after that, waking up to a new message from Junghwan, asking if he had time in the afternoon.

They had met up this day, and the following. They saw each other almost every day, went to the river, going for ice cream, taking walks through the fields and little wood around the village or met up at their houses if it was too hot.

At some point Eunsang had asked Junghwan to play something for him on the piano, and the other had agreed, playing several pieces until he started playing an old ballad Eunsang knew through his mother. He had quietly started to sing along, scooting the desk chair he was sitting on closer to the piano, to see Junghwan play it. The other’s eyes had widened upon hearing his voice but a smile spread on his face. He joined Eunsang in the second verse, harmonising with him.

They hadn’t exchanged any words after it, Junghwan just starting to play another song and Eunsang sang along again. They went through everything they could find, struggling with lyrics and notes, dissolving into laughter or just randomly belting out off-key ad-libs at some point. It became something they both enjoyed and they sat at the river often after that, singing and enjoying each other’s company in between conversations.

For the first time in a long while Eunsang had felt hopeful. Hopeful about this maybe not melting away with the start of school, hopeful about the connection they shared and hopeful that the fondness in Junghwan’s eyes, when he looked at him, might be a reciprocation of his own feelings. He had had a strict talking to with himself and accepted quickly that he was falling for the slightly older boy, faster and harder than he had expected himself capable of but here he was.

He had been aware that this was probably a mistake but he felt too comfortable around Junghwan, enjoying his presence and how the other had started throwing his arm over Eunsang, how their arms pressed against each other when they sat at the piano together, how the older had taken to calling him ‘Eunsangie’. The nickname had elicited a tingle in the pit of his stomach.

They had been sitting at the piano again, Junghwan playing the new piece he had been learning and refused to show Eunsang until he was done. The first few notes painted a surprised expression on Eunsang’s face – the older was playing Ondine, his fingers flying over the monochrome of the keys, bringing them to life and recreating the story behind the notes.

The song had seemed to be over within just a moment and Eunsang had slowly torn his eyes from the other’s hands, still resting on the final keys to find Junghwan’s eyes already on him. They were rather close, Eunsang on the desk chair again to give the other some arm space, but having been scooting closer subconsciously with time, leaning forward a bit. His position had been mirrored by Junghwan, their faces only inches apart.

They had exchanged no words, only a short eye contact before they had both leaned in. Their breath had mingled for a second before their lips touched, exchanging a chaste kiss. Junghwan’s lips had felt soft against Eunsang’s and they both moved away after a moment. Eunsang had opened his eyes (When had he closed them?) to look at the older for a moment, before leaning in again, capturing his lips again. The older seemed surprised for a second before he had reciprocated the kiss, his hands coming to rest at the juncture between Eunsang’s jaw and neck, pulling him closer.

Eunsang had slowly moved from the chair onto the piano bench, never breaking the kiss, his left hand grabbing Junghwan’s wrist in the process and slipping his right up the others chest over his shoulder to the back of his neck, pulling him even closer. When they had eventually broken away for air, Junghwan had left his hands on Eunsang’s neck, sliding down to his shoulders slowly.

“So I didn’t read the signs wrong,” he had said with a small smile. Eunsang had just smiled back and nodded his head in reply. He was still a bit surprised and breathless, the lack of oxygen making it a bit harder to comprehend the situation. Junghwan had leaned back in again at that, smiling against his lips.

They hadn’t really changed after this, still meeting all the time, singing, talking, taking walks. Their amount of skinship had increased, kisses being exchanged occasionally, hugs and hand holding becoming more of a regular occurrence. One time Eunsang’s mother had come into the kitchen to Eunsang preparing a plate of fruit for them with Junghwan backhugging him, his face tucked into his neck. She had grinned and asked if they were not feeling too hot before leaving the kitchen again, winking at Eunsang on her way out. Junghwan had blushed but Eunsang had just giggled and patted his flustered boyfriend’s hand.

Only the topic of school had weighed heavily on his thoughts. Contact was a bit harder with the lack of technology, so he had brought up the ‘strict school rules about tech usage’. Junghwan had just shrugged and replied that letters were a thing and they could maybe call on occasion. The relief that had washed Eunsang at his words and understanding had been great and had introduced Junghwan to his owl Columbus. Junghwan had been rather surprised at that but had accepted Eunsang’s explanation of a bird training system of his school and greeted the owl, which took a liking to him.

The last few weeks of the holiday had flown by and September had been just around the corner. Eunsang had dreaded saying goodbye, feeling anxious when he went over on the 31st of August to say his farewells to both Junghwan’s parents and his boyfriend in the early afternoon. The Yoons had to go to a birthday on this day and their time was cut short. Eunsang had hugged both Jonathan and Jiwon before pressing a short and sweet kiss to Junghwan’s lips after his parents went to the kitchen (presumably to give them some space), the other’s arms locking around him in a hug afterwards. They separated when Jiwon called for them and Junghwan smiled at him, telling him to not look so glum.

Eunsang had went back home after waving at them from the driveway as they left and packed the rest of his belongings, letting Columbus out of his cage in the afternoon for a while and settling on his bed with a book after dinner. The clock read 10.47 PM when his phone had pinged, showing a message from Junghwan, asking him to open the door. Eunsang had slipped down to the front door to the other standing in front of it, smiling at him. Eunsang had waved him in and signalled to be quiet as they snuck back up, where they had settled down on Eunsang’s bed and Junghwan pulled out his headphones. They had laid there with Junghwan’s head on Eunsang’s chest, listening to music in quiet, revelling in each other’s presence and talking quietly occasionally.

At some point after midnight, Columbus had flattered into the room through the window and went to his cage. Junghwan had lifted his head to look down at Eunsang, caged between the older's arms now, and leaned down to kiss him, slowly and languidly, before leaning his forehead against his for a bit and then getting up to go back home. He reminded Eunsang to write to him when he arrived and tapped his chin, telling him to smile.

Eunsang had been tired the next morning when they drove to London and said goodbye to his parents in a sleepy manner before passing the barrier to platform 9 ¾ and boarding the train, where he quickly found Junho and settled in a booth. The trip to school was uneventful and with the start of the new year Eunsang had taken to writing letters to Junghwan and sneaking into the Muggle studies classroom to call Junghwan occasionally. Only Junho knew about his nightly escapades but never judged him for it. He had figured out at some point that their teachers forgot the classroom quite a lot, so he slipped in whenever he could.

.oO°Oo.  
“How are things up there?” Junghwan asked him. A rustling sound told him the other must’ve sat down on his bed.

“It’s going well. Same old at school and with everything. A friend of mine re-enacted this Titanic scene on the stairs yesterday after dinner and it was brilliant, but he got detention for it.” Junghwan laughed at that.

“Did he sing too?” he asked.

“He got two 5th years to sing the song and another guy to play a horrible flute rendition along with it. It was even worse than this version on YouTube,” he laughed. Junghwan laughed louder at that.

“Oh, that’s bloody brilliant! He should’ve gotten you to join them too, the performance would’ve been vocally enhanced,” he teased Eunsang.

“Talking about singing – did I tell you I joined the choir?” the younger said instead. He had eventually built up the courage to go up to Professor Kim Sejeong and ask her about it. She had been delighted and signed him up right away, chattering away about practise times and songs. Her melodious voice had causedthe Hibiscus in the corner to open its blossom.

“You did?” Junghwan asked excitedly. “How is it? Do you like it?”

Eunsang giggled. “It’s fun and I get along with everyone. I’m gonna show you the songs when I’m home for Christmas. Our teacher writes them herself, so you won’t find them on the internet, but they’re beautiful.”

“She writes them herself? That’s impressive!” Junghwan replied in awe. Eunsang hummed in agreement.

“How is everything with you? What’ve you been up to?” he asked the other. Junghwan started telling him about school, new piano pieces and what had happened in their village. They kept talking for almost another hour before Eunsang noticed the time. He needed to go to bed.

Saying goodbye still wasn’t really his forte, but Junghwan’s happy voice made it easier. They promised to write again as soon as possible and Eunsang told him he’d call whenever he could find the time next. After saying their farewells, he listened to the beep signalling the end of the call and got up from the floor.

He unplugged the charger and stored it back in his robes along with his phone before making his way back up to the Ravenclaw tower, luckily running into no one again. The common room was empty, the lights dimmed and the fire almost burned out. He headed up the stairs to his dorm and carefully opened the door. Yunseong was snoring into his pillow, but Junho opened his eyes when Eunsang closed the door and approached his own bed next to his best friend. He nodded at him with a smile and Junho went back to sleep. Eunsang got ready for bed quickly and crawled under his blankets, snuggling into his pillow. He closed his eyes with a smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We hope you enjoyed this! 
> 
> Feel free to ask us questions and talk to us or just enjoy the moodboards on our Twitter!
> 
> Twitter: [@chaos_kisses](https://twitter.com/chaos_kisses?s=09)


	5. How to Sit on a Broomstick Comfortably

„Good work, everyone! Now get changed and head back to the castle, alright?” Kookheon’s voice echoed across the pitch, startling Jinhyuk who promptly dropped the Quaffle. Yohan snorted.

“He’s our Keeper, alright, but he really is clumsy at times,” Yuri said beside him, an amused glint in her eyes. “How did he not fall off his broom yet?” 

“Oh, he did! Last year!” Yujin joined them. “He choked on a fly once and ended up hanging onto it with one hand before Kookheon saved him. Luckily it was only like two metres above the field, but still.”

They all laughed at that.

“I remember!” Yohan exclaimed. “It was especially embarrassing for him because Wooseok, Ravenclaw’s prefect, was showing their first years around the castle grounds and the field when it happened and Wooseok cast the spell to empty out his windpipe.” 

Yuri started cackling at that. She had joined the team this year and wasn’t used to the debacle of flying limbs and chaos their Keeper Jinhyuk was on occasion. Yohan didn’t mention that the presence of the pretty Ravenclaw prefect might have distracted his hyung beforehand, causing his experience of choking on a fly. It happens with a gaping mouth.

“Okay, we gotta go. Yohan, you staying here?” Yujin threw an arm over Yuri’s shoulder and looked at the boy with a grin. Yohan nodded with a smile.

“I still got extra training with Kookheon, so yeah. See ya two later, okay?” he replied. 

“Ooooh, right, you gotta train!” Yujin exclaimed. “You know, I don’t envy you. My butt already hurts after two hours of practise, so you either have a really well trained butt or a high pain tolerance.” Yohan laughed at her words, Yuri snorting along. They were both used to her antics.

“Come on then, you big cry baby, let’s get you back then. Later, Yohan!” Yuri waved at him and started pulling her still whining friend with her, heading to the changing rooms with the rest of the team. Yohan turned to where his captain was waiting for him.

He had extra session’s with Kookheon twice a week, training their Quidditch skills. They had both been accepted into the national scholarship for Quidditch, securing them a place0 among the players preparing to join the national team as chasers. For this they needed to train harder and were examined by a coach who came by once a month as well as all their games to check on their improvement.

Kookheon was a year older than Yohan, but he had been accepted into the program during his fifth year already, introducing Yohan to everything later on. The younger had applied during his fifth year too, receiving his acceptance shortly after his O.W.L.’s were finished. Kookheon had been sitting next to him at breakfast when the letter arrived, holding his breath when Yohan exclaimed loudly in excitement and nervousness, startling Jinhyuk into spilling his tea over himself in the process and attracting Seungwoo to their table. 

His hands shook when he opened the parchment and read the first line. ‘Dear Mr Kim, we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted…’ He didn’t get further, because Kookheon yelped next to him, smothering him in a hug with Seungwoo and Jinhyuk throwing themselves onto the pile too, showering him in congratulations (and some tea, in Jinhyuk’s case). 

When they finally let go of him, he felt a hand on his shoulder and turned around to find Junho, smiling at him with a knowing grin on his face. Yohan beamed at him and held up the letter, to which Junho patted his head and mumbled “I’m not surprised”. It was typical for him to not show many emotions, but the twinkle in his eyes and the way his thumb moved against his collar and neck where Junho’s hand rested told him how much Junho cared. (He had startled the other with a sudden hug and some swaying and jumping around when he found him later on in the library, still studying for his last exam. Junho had returned the hug and laughed, quieting down quickly after when he remembered their location.)

So now he had extra training with Kookheon. They went through different strategies, practised their team play, passes and goals for another 90 minutes before heading to the changing rooms. Yohan was beat, and Kookheon didn’t look any better. They both just took a quick shower and changed into their normal clothes to head back to the castle, stumbling tiredly through the hallways until they reached the Fat Lady and headed into the rather empty common room. 

“I think, I’m gonna head to bed directly,” Kookheon said and yawned. “Don’t stay up too late, alright? And remember, we have first year classes next week!”

Yohan nodded and watched the other go to the dorms before dropping down on the sofa. He had almost forgotten about the first year flying classes at the end of September. Some years ago, their Quidditch coach and head of house had decided to get some help for classes with the first years through the respective house’s Quidditch team. They were to help the first years and tend to them along with the teacher, to give a bit more insight into flying and more people at hand to watch over everyone. 

Yohan sighed. He usually enjoyed them and was excited but right now he was just beat. He closed his eyes for a second.

“You alright there?” a familiar voice asked. Suhwan was sitting in the armchair next to him, looking somewhere between amused and worried. He was a classmate and they got along well, helping each other out and chatting in the evening. Yohan nodded.

“Just tired. I’m not used to the extra practise yet.” Suhwan nodded at that and went back to his astronomy homework, which he had spread out on the table.

“You’ll be fine after a while, I’m sure,” he said, writing down the names of constellations on a map of the night sky. Yohan hummed in agreement. Suhwan might seem disinterested, but Yohan knew he just didn’t want to make a fuss, because it didn’t change anything. He was going to get used to it, he just needed a bit of time. 

“If you need some pointers with the map, just tell me, okay?” the smaller boy continued, eyes still fixed on his homework. Yohan smiled and hummed again – he knew Suhwan offered to help him so he could find some rest and enough time for other things. It was typical of him, taking care in a roundabout way. 

“Thanks,” he said and got up with a smile. “I think I’ll follow Kookheon’s example for now and go to sleep.” He waved at the other and headed towards the stairs, climbing up to his dorm room. When he opened the door, Byungchan was laying on his bed already with a book, reading glasses slipping down to the tip of his nose. He looked up and smiled.

“You look beat, mate. Go to sleep already,” he said and threw a small stuffed animal at him. “This fell out of your bag in the afternoon, by the way, when you headed out of the common room.”

Yohan caught the little toy and looked at it: A red panda, only as big as his palm. He smiled.

“Thanks. I would’ve hated to lose this one,” he said, placing the plushie on his pillow and grabbing his toiletries. “I’ll be back in a sec.” Byungchan pointed finger guns at him with a smile and went back to his book.

When Yohan returned from the bathroom, the other had nodded off over his book, glasses dangling precariously from his ear. Yohan lightly shook his friends, who grumbled and crawled under his covers, taking off his glasses in the process. Yohan put them on the nightstand together with the book and went to his own bed. 

He crawled under the covers and took the plushie in his hands to look at it again. He really didn’t want to lose it. It had been a present from Junho two years ago. They had gone to the zoo over summer holidays and Yohan had loved the red panda’s, cooing at their adorable nature and shyness. 

When they had been in the monkey house near the entrance, Junho had left for a few minutes whilst Yohan was being swarmed by Squirrel monkeys and thoroughly distracted. When Junho returned, he had clasped something in his pocket but waved it off when Yohan inquired about his disappearance. He soon forgot about it until his friend handed him a little wrapped present on his birthday shortly into the school year. In it he found some sweets and a book he had wanted to read, along with the red panda.

“You know, they reminded me of you.”, he said to Junho after seeing the present. His friend had looked at him with a question in his eyes (he wasn’t one for words, especially in the morning) and Yohan nodded enthusiastically.

“They do! They are really shy but clever and they become bolder and more playful when they feel comfortable.” He looked back at the plushie. “Plus, they’re really cute.”

Junho had slightly blushed, mumbling something about not being cute, before heading off to class. Yohan had looked at his retreating form until he had been tackled in a hug by Byungchan. Since then, he always had the plushie with him. It usually hung on his bag strap, but the little string must’ve ripped today. He would repair it in the morning, or ask Junho for help. 

.oO°Oo. 

He had met Junho in his second year, when the other had just started his first. Flying had brought them together. 

The first years of Ravenclaw and Gryffindor were lined up on the grass outside the castle, each student next to a school broom. In front of them stood Professor Kang Daniel, the official coach and flying teacher, with the Quidditch teams of the two houses beside him. A second year Yohan was bouncing on his toes excitedly beside Kookheon, who was just as calm as always. He didn’t listen to Professor Kang, eyes busy scanning the rows of students, grinning at some people from Gryffindor and then moving his gaze at the row of Ravenclaws. 

A small boy at the end of the row caught his eyes. Most people around him looked either scared or excited but his face was expressionless. A boy next to him looked rather nervous, shuffling slightly. The small boy looked at him for a moment, quirking the corner of his mouth for a moment and then returning to his impassive state. Weird. Maybe he didn’t want to fly? Or he was just not interested in it?

Yohan was sapped out of his thoughts by Professor Kang’s whistle, signalling the start. The first years stretched out their hands over the broomsticks and tried to make them fly up. Some reacted instantly, some were more stubborn. Some poor kid was knocked in the face by one and stumbled back. But they seemed uninjured to Yohan’s relief. He looked around the rows. He threw a thumbs-up to some people who got their brooms up and were now attempting to climb onto them. 

The Quidditch teams had started to go up to people who needed help and Yohan looked down the lines of students to. The small boy caught his eye again. He had gotten the broom stick up and was holding it, his impassive face now replaced with a mask of doubt and insecurity as he chewed on his lower lip. He seemed unsure how to proceed. Yohan marched towards him, deciding to help.

“Hi there! Can I help you with this? I’m Yohan, from Gryffindor, a second year and a chaser. Nice to meet you!” he rambled off in one single breath, beaming at the boy. The petite boy looked at him for a moment before looking down.

“I’m Cha Junho,” he said quietly. “And… I don’t really know how I’m supposed to get on this thing.” He gestured at the broom. Yohan grinned.

“Alright, lower it to your hip height.” They other did as ordered. 

“Now throw your leg over and grab the broom tightly.” Again, the other followed his words. His knuckles turned white with how hard he grabbed the wood.

“Don’t have to hold on for dear life, okay?” he tried to calm the other. “Now try sitting down.” Junho looked doubtful but tried and gasped in surprise. 

“What’s this?” he asked, returning to a standing position, his eyes fixed on the broom stick. Yohan giggled. 

“It’s a magic air cushion that is formed when you try to use a broom stick. It makes the whole thing a lot nicer, because otherwise the wood would be squished between your…”, he didn’t finish his sentence, Junho wincing and nodding in agreement. 

“Alright, try sitting down again and lifting your feet. I’m gonna stand next to you and hold you, if you lose your balance, okay?” he said to the younger. Junho looked up at him and nodded after a moment, grabbing his broom tightly again. It took him a few attempts, but he eventually found the courage to lift his feet. Yohan held him steady by his shoulders and slowly brought him into a hovering position with the broomstick straight in the air before letting go. 

Junho looked at him apprehensively and swallowed. “And now?” he asked.

“Pull the broomstick upwards slowly, then you move up; push down and it goes down. Left and right just the same,” Yohan instructed him cheerfully. Junho nodded and furrowed his brows in concentration. Then he slowly moved the broomstick to the left and flew around Yohan in a slow circle. On his second round he pulled it up a bit, gaining height, but remained in control – until he looked down. His eyes widened and he started swaying a bit, the broomstick jerking.

“Concentrate on me, Junho! Slowly push down and come towards me!” Yohan called and waved, the smile not slipping off his face. He saw the younger gulp again but follow his words after a second. When he got close, Yohan grabbed his waist with one and the broomstick with the other hand, stopping him and slowly lowering the first year to the ground. Junho sighed when his feed made contact with the grass.

“Thanks. I’m not good with heights,” he mumbled shyly, cheeks coloured red. Yohan patted his shoulder.

“That’s alright! If flying isn’t for you, then you don’t have to do it! But at least you know how to operate a broom now!” He grinned excitedly, coaxing a small smile from Junho.

“Great,” a slightly sarcastic voice interrupted them from the side. “So how do I do this?”

They turned around to see the boy next to Junho hang from his broomstick like a sloth, one eyebrow raised in amusement. Junho snorted and Yohan grinned at him. 

“You should probably get down first.” 

After helping the boy - Eunsang, as he introduced himself- with his flying too and sending him off to the circle of first years that were flying rounds under the watchful eye of some 7th years and Professor Kang, he turned back to Junho. The other looked at him with a quizzical gaze. 

“How come you’re already on the team as a second year?” Junho asked, sitting on the grass cross legged. Yohan joined him.

“I showed promise in flying lessons in my first year, so they allowed me on the team for practise but not in the official line up. I was training with them for the past year and now I’m finally allowed to play in games too! I got my own broomstick as a birthday present from my family, so I’m not flying one the school brooms anymore either!” he got more and more excited as he spoke. “I just love flying, the way you see the world from up high, the wind on your face, how quick you are and it’s just so much fun!”

The other looked at him with a surprised expression. Yohan realised he had started to go into his home town accent as he spoke, changing his vowels and pronunciation. 

“Are you from around Durham?” Junho asked with a northern pronunciation he didn’t use before. Yohan’s eyes widened and he nodded. 

“You too?” he asked excitedly, not bothering to speak RP anymore. The younger nodded. They fell into conversation when they realised, they came from the same area, only a few villages and a town apart. Junho was muggle-born and almost didn’t believe the whole story about Hogwarts until the teacher who visited them, Professor Kim Chungha, transformed their table into a deer and back again and conjured up some flowers from thin air. Yohan shared that he was half-half, but his parents had wanted him to have a normal childhood, so they didn’t use a lot of magic at home and most of his friends were muggles.

Yohan complained how they had to go to London first to board the Hogwarts express instead of just heading straight to Hogwarts or adding in some extra stations, but Junho (who had read A History of Hogwarts in preparation) explained the concept behind it. The Hogwarts express wasn’t exactly traveling on official routes - it was a bit like the Knight Bus, just without the location jumps. Instead it used train routes without disrupting the railways system plus an extra part of the tracks leading to Hogsmeade. 

The whole area around the village and the castle was protected by a multitude of spells, which were on extremely high alert during the whole commute time to ensure the safety of the arriving student body and prevent dangerous slip-ins by non-authorised personnel (Yohan had scrunched up his eyebrows at this sentence and Junho had translated it - no dangerous people slipping in). The train itself was both like a key mechanism to start the normal protection spells surrounding the student body as well as a checking system like a security check-in at the airport, magically scanning. 

Due to its magical nature, it had been impossible to enter other stops into it without disrupting the security spells. Students that arrived through a different method (like flying an enchanted car right into the Whomping willow) faced consequences, and so the Hogwarts Express became the standard. Plus, it had bonding experience.

Yohan was impressed, lips in a pout and eyes wide. He looked a bit silly and made Junho smile - he wasn’t too bad of a person and he seemed to just accept Junho’s quiet and reserved nature. Their conversation was cut short by Professor Kang’s whistle, officially ending the class and summoning all students to the ground again.

After collecting all broomsticks, their teacher let them go to dinner with a smile and a wave, which caused Yohan to jump up.

“Thank god, I was seriously starving!” he yelled, startling Junho. “Let’s go!”

He looked at the still sitting Ravenclaw expectantly. Junho raised a brow. 

“Are you waiting for me?” he asked, surprised.

“Sure, who else?” the Gryffindor replied and held out his hand. Junho grabbed it and got to his feet.

“Then let’s go!” he said with as much enthusiasm as he could muster up. Yohan’s smile became wider at this and he started walking towards the castle gates. Junho followed him after looking around for Eunsang quickly but his classmate was nowhere to be found. He shrugged and went after Yohan, who was chattering away again. 

Upon reaching the Great Hall, Yohan pulled him to a stop again and looked around the Gryffindor table until his face lit up.

“Seungwoo-hyung!” He dragged Junho towards two boys at the table, one having Hufflepuff colours on his uniform and the other Junho was sure he saw on the Gryffindor’s Quidditch team outside a second ago. Yohan stopped in front of the Hufflepuff Boy, slamming into the other boy’s back in the process. He promptly choked on his noodles.

“Hyung, meet Junho! We met in flying class and we’re from around the same area actually!” The Hufflepuff, Seungwoo, smiled kindly whilst patting the choking boy’s back, before he turned to Junho.

“I’m Seungwoo, and this fellow here is Jinhyuk.” he said and a still struggling Jinhyuk lifted his hand in greeting. 

“They’re both third years,” Yohan explained as he pulled Junho to sit down. “Seungwoo showed me around and helped me out a lot in my first year. He’s a really nice hyung!” 

He grabbed a plate and started eating. Junho hesitated for just a moment, when his stomach growled and Seungwoo giggled beside him. The older pushed a plate towards him and smiled, looking at Yohan for a second. The 2nd year was glad - Junho seemed to be fine with his friends.

“You should eat.”

Junho had become a constant in his life after their first encounter. He found his way around the castle better than Yohan but he still asked him questions about a lot of things. After he started opening up, he didn’t try to hide his fascination for all the magic around him anymore and became more energetic. It felt like Yohan gave him a boost, whilst Junho grounded him in his wild and energetic behaviour.

They started hanging out a lot, either studying together in the library or visiting each other’s common rooms. Occasionally, Junho came to Quidditch practise but he usually had a book with him. But the whole team adored him after a while, especially the older girl’s - he was rather cute and small after all.

They became close friends, meeting up over summer holidays and relayed their inner thoughts to each other. Junho was the first of his friends that saw him cry, and instead of judging him just scooted closer and put his arm around his shoulder in an attempt to be comforting. It was so awkward, Yohan giggled in between sobs and pulled Junho into a hug eventually. 

Unlikely as they seemed, they became inseparable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

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	6. Boats are a great Bonding Experience

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not uploading, but both of us have been swamped with work and just forgot about it. But we'll be doing weekly uploads again!

“Jinhyuk, you’re staring again,” Seungwoo said with faint exasperation and obvious amusement laced in his voice. Jinhyuk flinched and almost elbowed Hyeongjun into the side, throwing an apologetic smile at the cute boy beside him. 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he feigned nonchalance and grabbed his cup of coffee to hide his face behind it. Nothing happened, nope. Just normal breakfast, as every day.

“You know, he’s looking over here,” Seungwoo continued and busied himself with cutting his third apple into slices to distribute the fruit pieces to the younger boys around him. Jinhyuk’s head whipped up so fast his neck cracked and Hyeongjun winced at the sound. Jinhyuk’s eyes focused on the Ravenclaw table, searching for a second before he found Wooseok who was….deep in conversation with Sejin. Of course.

Seungwoo started snickering next to him while handing some fruit to Minkyu across the table and Donghyun, opposite of him, at least attempted to hide his smile. At least he didn’t comment on it.

“Who were you staring at, hyung?” Minkyu asked, not even having to feign his ignorance. The boy was sweet but a bit oblivious and slow on the uptake at times. Donghyun didn’t even try to hide his amusement anymore and started cackling, adding to Minkyu’s confusion. 

Jinhyuk sighed. “Don’t worry about it, they’re just being stupid,” he told the boy.

His eyes wandered back to the Ravenclaw table and to Wooseok’s face. He was still speaking to Sejin with his hands wrapped around his cup and a kind smile on his face. Sejin was gesturing around and apparently said something funny because Wooseok started giggling. He lifted his hand to hide his giggle but Sejin was gesturing more and more animatedly, almost slapping Yunseong beside him in the face. Wooseok started laughing at that and his whole face lit up, eyes scrunching shut. His smile seemed to split his face and he threw his head back for a moment, exposing the column of his neck.

Jinhyuk couldn’t hear him laugh, but he could imagine his voice, starting in a small giggle and slowly developing into a clear laughter like a bell. A pang of jealousy hit him; he wanted to make Wooseok smile and laugh like that too, hear his voice, see his eyes scrunch shut, with the light of the morning sun falling onto him like this…

A hand waved in front of his face and obstructed his view before shoving a slice of apple between his lips. His mouth must’ve been open. He turned to Seungwoo with wide eyes, apple slice only halfway into his mouth and asked the most appropriate question in this situation.

“Whahau hooing?” Right, there was apple between his teeth. He bit down, chewed on the piece in his mouth quickly, before asking again. 

“What are you doing?” Seungwoo just raised an eyebrow at him. 

“I could ask you the same. What are you doing here actually?” he asked with a quirk of his lips. 

“What do you mean?” Jinhyuk asked puzzled. Seungwoo studied him for a second, before he sighed and pushed another slice of apple in Jinhyuk’s direction.

“I mean, why are you here? You are aware that this is not your house table, right? And even though I know you are whipped, I didn’t think you were that desperate to get closer to the subject of your pining through coming here, but because you wanted to spend time with your best friend.” Seungwoo grabbed his cup of coffee and took a sip before redirecting his eyes at a still dazed Jinhyuk again.

“So why are you here?”

Silence. Jinhyuk’s brain cells eventually connected the words and their meaning and sent out an answer to his mouth.

“Ah, yeah, right! I came here because of the Transfiguration homework!” He looked at Seungwoo with pleading eyes and Seungwoo sighed. 

“Okay, where are you stuck.” Jinhyuk whooped and pulled out his almost finished essay, glad for his friends help. It wasn’t like he wanted to copy his friends work, he just needed some hints. Contrary to popular belief, being the school’s prankster didn’t make him lazy in his school work - quite the opposite. Trying to figure out spells for pranks, ingredients for potions or general strategies required a certain amount of work and he valued what he was taught. Not only did it give him a great arsenal to work with, it was also interesting. His grades might not be stellar in every subject but he got along well and rather tried to figure it out by himself than rely on other people.

Seungwoo talked him through the part of the theory for the spell they had to analyse for their homework and Jinhyuk scribbled down some notes to incorporate in his free lesson later on. Soon, the end of breakfast was approaching and Seungwoo grabbed his bag to go to his first lesson of the day (Charms with Ravenclaw).

Jinhyuk looked up at that and saw Wooseok and Sejin leaving the Ravenclaw table too, heading towards the door. There went the target of his affection, leaving for a class they didn’t share… Wait. Suddenly, Seungwoo’s words from earlier echoed through his head. ‘Even though I know you are whipped, I didn’t think you were that desperate to get closer to the subject of your pining through coming here’.

His head whipped around and he glared at Seungwoo, who only raised an eyebrow at him with a light smile.

“What do you mean pining? And I’m not desperate!” Jinhyuk whined. Donghyun snorted opposite of him before leaving and Seungwoo just fixed him in a slightly sarcastic and amused look, before turning around and leaving too. Jinhyuk turned around and huffed, glaring down at his homework, before shoving it into his bag.

“Hyung?” a shy voice asked. Hyeongjun looked up at him with large eyes, looking incredibly cute and soft. Jinhyuk felt a smile appearing on his face at the adorable view. 

“Yes?” he said. 

“You are somewhat desperate, you know?” the boy told him and Jinhyuk deflated. 

“Whatever,” he grumbled before getting up and heading towards the doors. He needed to get to class.

.oO°Oo.

“Oh, this is gonna be marvelous!” Jinhyuk mumbled to himself as he snuck through the corridor, careful to not be loud and disturb any class that might be in session. He was on his way to the second floor bathroom after having finished his homework just minutes ago during his free period before lunch.

He entered the bathroom and carefully closed the door behind him. A quick look around the room reassured him that he was alone and so he went towards the row of windows in the dim bathroom, pulling out a bottle as he went. The etikett had a familiar banner on it: Three W’s merging into each other, with sparks and a wand around them. The emblem of ‘Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes’.

Jinhyuk looked at the instruction on the back of the bottle quickly and nodded along, before grinning.

“Alright, here goes nothing.” He pulled the cork out of the small bottle and emptied its contents on the floor before he pulled out his wand. 

“Extendi,” he said and pointed his wand at the small green puddle. The concoction didn’t seem to change at first but then bubbles started appearing on its surface. The liquid seemed to gain in depth, colour changing to a muddy green and then brown in quick succession and its surface started expanding to all sides. 

Little pieces of mud started swimming to the surface of the brown liquid, gaining mass as the area got bigger, and small islands formed. In just under a minute, about a quarter of the bathroom floor had been flooded by the developing swamp, expanding under toilet stalls and into every nook and cranny. Some grass and swamp plants started growing on the still developing islands and the water between them got even darker, gaining more depth. 

Jinhyuk watched in fascination. So this was the magical swamp the legendary Weasley twins had left in a corridor after the flourish they created when they left the school during Dolores Umbridge’s time as headmaster. He had heard the stories of staying for quite a while because they were apparently unable to remove it. 

He looked at the bootle again: ‘Improved formula’ it said. So even less likely to be removed quickly. Something wet touched his feet and he released a yelp, jumping back. The swamp had touched his foot. Alright, time to go and leave the swamp; he wasn’t an ogre after all. 

There was just one problem. He was at the window. The door was at the other end of the room. Between them was the swamp. He had made a crucial mistake here. Carefully he approached the swamp again: It was still expanding, but slower than before. It would stop when it had reached all walls. 

Carefully, Jinhyuk tested a grassy island. His foot sank into the mud almost immediately and he pulled it back, taking a step back. His back hit the wall and he leaned against it, breathing deeply. What could he do? The swamp wasn’t too deep (for safety reasons), so if push came to shove he could probably wade and swim through it. But it had a rather nasty smell to it. Bad idea then. 

He looked around again. The window sill. Rapunzel, locked in her tower, it was then. Jinhyuk thought about extending his hair and swinging out of the room for a moment but then discarded the idea. He didn’t think that would work - the ceiling’s were way too high. He took a careful step to the side and climbed onto the window sill, sitting down. 

The advantage of a castle were deep windows with large sills to sit in, something he had always loved about the school. He sat sideways and pulled up his legs, leaning against the wall. The view from here was truly marvelous. He reached over and opened the window a bit - the stench was getting too strong for his taste. 

Sighing, he leaned back again. He’d have to wait for someone to get him out of here. How long would it take? Class was still in session and it was lunch afterwards, but maybe some people would go to the bathroom after class? Hopefully.

He sighed again and prepared to revel in his dramatic self-pity about his current predicament when the door opened, startling him. He turned around, saying the first thing coming to his mouth.

“What are you doing in my swamp?” His eyes met a familiar face with raised eyebrows and a sceptical look. Jinhyuk scrambled to sit up-right and quietly cursed his luck. A Shrek quotation was definitely not the first thing he had wanted to say to Wooseok.

“So this is your work?” he asked from the door. Jinhyuk nodded sheepishly, hand messing through his hair. 

“Then I’ll just leave your swamp then,” the younger replied and started closing the door again. Jinhyuk almost fell from his perch.

“No, wait!” he called. Wooseok looked at him and waited. “Could you… I mean… Would it be possible... “ He took a deep breath.

“I’m stuck here.” Wooseok’s face morphed into amusement at his words. 

“You’re what now?” he asked disbelievingly. Jinhyuk felt heat crawl up his cheeks.

“I’m stuck. I ended up in the corner and didn’t want to swim because it stinks and the Rapunzel hair expansion theory didn’t seem practical, so here I am.” he rambled out. Wooseok looked at him for a moment and then started chortling. Jinhyuk was sure he looked like a tomato by now.

“You are aware that you are a wizard, right?” the Ravenclaw asked. Jinhyuk looked at him quizzically. As far as he knew, he couldn’t make himself levitate. Wooseok chortled again and pulled out his wand. 

“Naviculum apparens!” he called and a small boat formed itself in front of him, big enough for two people. Jinhyuk gaped at that, looking like a fish. Wooseok was sent into full blown laughter. 

“I can’t believe I didn’t think of this.” Jinhyuk said, still in shock over his own stupidity. Wooseok climbed into the boat, still laughing and grabbed the long wooden pole to push himself off and move the boat towards Jinhyuk. He carefully navigated around the islands and plants until he reached the window sill Jinhyuk was sitting on.

“I have arrived to save the damsel in distress,” he said mockingly, a smile still splitting his face. Jinhyuk swallowed his pride and raised his voice to a very high tone.

“Thank you, fair knight! I shall take my leave now!” And he jumped into the boat. Not his best decision. The vessel started rocking from left to right and Jinhyuk flailed around, long arms rotating like a windmill. Wooseok yelped and grabbed onto him, pushing him flat down onto the floor of the boat. 

Jinhyuk’s arms wound around his waist on instinct, pressing the boy against him. Damn, he was tiny. But heavier than expected. He felt his breath against his neck as Wooseok lifted his head from where it was pressed against his shoulder, his mouth stopping next to his ear. He heard him breathe in.

“You clumsy idiot.” Well, Jinhyuk deserved that one. He laughed sheepishly and Wooseok lifted himself on this forearms, before looking down at Jinhyuk expectantly. 

“Are you going to let go anytime soon?” he asked. Jinhyuk realised he was still holding his waist, hindering the other from getting up. He quickly thought about refusing to let go but eventually decided to not test his luck. Wooseok still had a hold on the wooden pole. The Gryffindor let go of the other boy and sat up after him. 

“Maybe jumping into a floating vehicle was not my brightest decision of the day,” he said. Wooseok looked at him with an eyebrow raised in skepticism.

“You rank this as not the brightest decision? Think again.” He got up and proceeded to pull the pole with him, putting it back into the water. Jinhyuk was about to get up and help him when Wooseok fixed him with a sharp look. 

“Don’t. You’d probably manage to capsize us. Let me do this.” He started pushing them towards the door again and Jinhyuk faced forward to escape the glare. An idea hit him. He looked over his shoulder at Wooseok and grinned, then he quickly got up and stood in the nose of the ship, stretching his arms to the side.

“I am the King of the world!” he called, putting a foot on the railing and laughing maniacally. Suddenly the boat jerked and he lost his balance, almost falling over, when he felt arms around his middle holding him up.

“What the hell are you doing?!” Wooseok yelled, still holding him. Jinhyuk got another idea. He snapped his body upwards and leaned forward.

“Jack!” he called in a fake high voice. “Jack, I’m flying!” 

A laugh resembling a hyena sounded from the door and they both looked over. Professor Ha Sungwoon was doubled over at the open doorway, laughing like a maniac. Jinhyuk felt embarrassment crawl up his body, but didn’t have time to think about it because suddenly he was falling and landed in a heap on the floor of the boat, barely missing the railing with his head. He looked up.

Wooseok had dropped him, his arms now slack at his sides and a mortified expression on his face. His eyes slowly lowered themselves to Jinhyuk’s and the Gryffindor gulped. He was in trouble.

.oO°Oo.

“I can’t believe you ended up in detention because of me,” Jinhyuk said as Wooseok sorted through dried plants, putting them into separate labeled boxes. Jinhyuk smiled apologetically.

“Would you believe me if I said I didn’t want to get you into trouble?” he asked. Wooseok sighed and his hands stilled. He looked up, eyes searching Jinhyuk’s for a moment before he continued his work.

“As weird as it sounds, I do believe you. You don’t strike me as someone who likes to get others into trouble on purpose.” He looked up again. 

“But seriously, Titanic again? What’s with you and movies?” he asked. Jinhyuk shrugged and looked down at the beatles he was grinding into a fine powder before filling the powder into glass flacons.

After Professor Ha had witnessed their little ‘scene’ he had given both of them detention. Jinhyuk, for obvious reasons, was to sort through Potions supplies for the next three evenings; Wooseok was to join him for the first evening. The older had protested at this and claimed Wooseok had nothing to do with this and was just helping him out. Professor Ha had given him a short talking-to about prefect and headboy responsibilities and handling situations accordingly before looking at Wooseok. The younger’s eyes were hard but he had nodded without protest before excusing himself to lunch.

Wooseok actually agreed with his teacher: he hadn’t acted in any way he was supposed to. He didn’t inform a teacher, he didn’t close off the bathroom and instead of just moving the boat by magic he had thrown himself into this mess. As headboy he needed to set an example for younger students. 

But when he had entered the bathroom to see Jinhyuk in the window sill like a princess waiting for her knight and the surprise on his face, he didn’t think straight. Something about this boy made him throw his rationality out of the window in a heartbeat. 

Theoretically, he shouldn’t like him. Jinhyuk was a troublemaker, Wooseok headboy and prefect. They shouldn’t be getting along. He was supposed to be careless and irrational, doing stupid things. Wooseok should be his polar opposite. But he was aware that this was quite far from reality. Jinhyuk did care, he thought things through a lot of the time and he was neither a slacker nor incapable. He wasn’t arrogant either but seemed like a nice person, apart from his constant pranking. And as hard as it was to believe, he _ really _ didn’t seem to be as troublesome as Wooseok had made him out to be. 

He even seemed really guilty about getting Wooseok into detention and had apologised about a dozen times until Wooseok had told him to shut up about it, it wasn’t that bad. And true to his words he had walked over to the Gryffindor table after dinner at quarter to eight and tapped Jinhyuk on the shoulder. 

The other had turned around with surprise on his face which had been closer than Wooseok expected. He wasn’t small per se, the other was just too tall for this world. So when he turned around, Jinhyuk’s face wasn’t as far away as he had expected it to be. He cleared his throat and took a small step back.

“We need to get going,” he said. Jinhyuk nodded and started getting up.

“Where to?” Yohan asked curiously. Wooseok was familiar with the loud Gryffindor - he was a frequent guest in their common room, thanks to Junho. He liked the boy but he wasn’t too sure about the grinning fellow next to him: lanky with a pointy nose and deep dimples on his cheeks with a smile that was way to mischievous to be trusted. He looked like a plotting baby chick. An unusual combination. Wooseok looked at Yohan again.

“Detention. We have to sort through potion’s supplies and we’ll be late if we don’t get going.” He looked at Jinhyuk right as the other pulled his second leg over the bench he had been sitting on. His shoe, however, got caught on the seat of the bench and he lost his balance. Wooseok grabbed his collar with one and his arm with the other hand and pulled him upright with quick reflexes. 

He let go of the other immediately, looking back at Yohan, who looked like a surprised owl at the quick save. The boy next to him whistled appreciatively before he looked at Jinhyuk, who had turned around and tried to appear nonchalant.

“How did you manage to get our headboy into detention, hyung?” he asked and Wooseok’s eyes flicked to the boy’s face before settling on Jinhyuk, who also looked at him with a slight blush painted on his cheeks.

“Let’s not talk about it,” he said and lightly grabbed Wooseok’s arm to push him towards the door. The other boy wolf-whistled at his reaction but Yohan seemed worked up suddenly.

“But hyung, you’re going to miss practise then!” he said with a slight accusation. Jinhyuk turned around for a second and smiled apologetically before heading towards the door, Wooseok beside him.

So here they were, sorting through all these ingredients. It was a boring activity and quiet at that. Wooseok usually didn’t mind quiet but this was getting stifling. He cleared his throat, gaining Jinhyuk’s attention.

“Will you get into trouble for missing practise?” he asked carefully before he looked up at Jinhyuk through his lashes. He didn’t know what reaction to expect but the sad grin on Jinhyuk’s face - he hadn’t seen it coming.

“Nah,” he said. “I told Kookheon and he said it’s alright and that I should just join one of his extra sessions with Yohan to practise with them.”

Wooseok hummed before he registered his words. 

“They have extra sessions?” he asked, lifting his head to look at the other. A proud smile spread over Jinhyuk’s face.

“Yeah. I don’t know if you heard but they were both accepted into this Quidditch scholarship.”

“I know,” he said. Yohan had come to their common room late in the evening the day he received the letter, after the Gryffindor’s had quieted down and he could slip away to meet with Junho at the Ravenclaw tower. Wooseok had been there too, doing homework in front of the fire place when the other boy arrived and Junho went to let him in. 

After inquiring about the excitement he had congratulated Yohan in earnest happiness. He was proud of the boy to have achieved something like this at such a young age, and he had never seen Junho that happy before, a smile lighting up his face and speaking excitedly. After chatting with the two for a bit, he had packed up his homework and bid them goodnight to give them some privacy.

“They have extra hours twice a week and monthly examinations by special coaches so they develop accordingly,” Jinhyuk told him. Wooseok’s eyes widened.

“Twice a week? That’s a lot!” he said. There had to be a huge amount of pressure on both Kookheon and Yohan. He didn’t know Kookheon well but considering Yohan’s happy personality and energetic nature he was impressed. The boy had a lot on his plate. 

“How are they dealing with it? They must be really stressed!” he added. Jinhyuk nodded.

“They try not to show it too much but it tires them out, sometimes more than at other times.” He looked deep in thoughts. “I know Yohan spends a lot of time with Seungwoo and Junho; they’re his stress relief, especially Junho.” He looked up.

“They’re a weird pair, the two of them. But good for each other. Junho grounds Yohan, Yohan energises Junho.” Wooseok nodded at that. He had noticed over the years and he was glad the shy 5th year had a friend like Yohan. He had really started opening up after a while. Wooseok chewed on his bottom lip before he felt eyes on his face. He looked up to see Jinhyuk’s eyes flitting away. The other seemed to be pondering over something, creases on his forehead visible.

“Spit it out,” Wooseok said. Jinhyuk looked at him with a questioning gaze. 

“Whatever you’re thinking about. I can practically hear the gears in your head turning. So just say it,” he elaborated.

“It’s just…” Jinhyuk started. “Okay, this may sound weird but hear me out.” He looked at Wooseok with determination in his eyes and the other couldn’t stop himself from nodding. There was an intensity in his gaze that made him obey immediately.

“Alright, so I think not all teachers are aware of their training sessions. Yohan has only started this year, so he hasn’t experienced it as much, but Kookheon had situations where he had loads of assignments plus his extra sessions plus examinations for the scholarship all in a very short time. I know he wouldn’t ever say anything and Yohan wouldn’t either but I think... “ He trailed off for a moment, looking at the wall before focussing his gaze on Wooseok.

“Listen, I honestly don’t think the teachers are doing it to spite them but they have a lot on their plate. But if no one knows about their extra work, they get everything piled up high and I’m worried they might break under the pressure at some point.” 

Wooseok’s eyes widened. He remembered an evening two weeks ago. He had been sitting in the common room to play chess with Sejin, Seungwoo having joined them earlier in the evening to talk through some prefect business, when Yohan had knocked on their door. Eunsang, who had been passing by, had opened the door for him and Yohan had thanked him with a smile before going straight to the sofa Junho was sitting on with a book, dropping next to his younger friend and laying his head on his lap. Junho had looked up from his book and had put it away before starting to thread the fingers of his left hand through Yohan’s still damp hair (he must’ve showered before coming here), his right hand coming to rest on his shoulder in a comforting way. 

They had talked quietly and Seungwoo joined them at some point, crouching in front of the sofa and running a gentle hand over Yohan’s face. The boy had scrunched his eyes shut and buried his face in the blanket pooled on Junho’s lap, who had leaned over him, the hand previously on Yohan’s arm now reaching around him in a hug. Wooseok had looked away, feeling like he was intruding. Thinking back at it now, Yohan must’ve reached a breaking point then and sought comfort in his closest friends. 

They were only about 6 weeks into the school year but Wooseok knew from experience how stressed N.E.W.T. students were - you had to be hard-working to keep up and finish everything on time if you wanted good grades. And there was no doubt Kookheon and Yohan had shown good results in order to keep their scholarship. 

“So what you’re saying,” he said and focused his attention back on Jinhyuk, “is that the teachers need to be made aware by _ someone _ about their situation, so that they might be able to relocate their workload or give them a bit more time.” Jinhyuk nodded.

“And I guess this should be done by someone who isn’t too close to them to make their observation rational and who ideally might be in a position to speak for students needs.” Jinhyuk nodded again, slowly this time, his eyes widening in realisation. 

“I’ll see what I can do then,” Wooseok finished his statement and looked back at his plants. They were quiet for a few moments before he heard the older exhale in what sounded like relief.

“Thank you,” he mumbled, voice sounding a bit choked up. Wooseok smiled at the plants in front of him and continued sorting them. He’d speak to the teachers and the headmaster the next day and try to make them understand. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

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	7. No animals allowed in the library!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No beta, we die like men! (And we're late again)

“I need your help.”

Sejin yelped in shock. Not because someone asked him for help, he was used to that by now (prefects got asked for help a lot). No, he yelped because the person asking for help had flung themselves at his back unexpectedly, trapping him in something like a hug and a chokehold. Sejin sighed.

“You won’t get it if you don’t let go of me.” The other let him go and Sejin turned around to a pouting face with cute kitten-like features. 

“Seriously, and you call yourself headboy with that kind of behaviour?” he asked with a mocking tone but the harshness of it was cancelled out by his kind smile. Wooseok’s pout seemed to intensify and he dropped onto the chair next to Sejin.

“But you usually like my hugs!” he complained, shaking his arm. Sejin raised an eyebrow. He was used to Wooseok’s behaviour among his closest friends, a stark contrast from his school behaviour but this level of cuteness was unusual. This was important. 

“Alright, so what do you want?” he asked, putting his quill away to avoid dropping ink on his homework. Upon closer inspection he noticed a big blob there where he had attempted to write his next words before he had been ambushed. He’d deal with it later. 

“I need you help in diplomatic matters,” Wooseok said, eliciting a grin out of Sejin. 

“What did Eunsang do this time?” he asked. The fifth year had a habit of bringing a rise out of Wooseok over stupid things. 

One day he pretended to have hearing impairment after his cauldron had exploded in potions and continued to say complete nonsense to everything Wooseok said or repeat random words. It had reached comedic peak when Wooseok had described the word ‘petite’ and Eunsang proceeded to repeat it in various forms of pronunciation, the best being ‘Priki’. Later it had turned out that Eunsang had been to the infirmary right after the incident and had been perfectly able to hear all afternoon. Only Yunseong and Junho had been in on it.

But Wooseok didn’t smile. So it was serious after all. Sejin turned his whole body towards him.

“Alright, what’s going on?”

“Okay, I’ve got this situation where some students are extremely stressed because of their workload and some extracurricular stuff and those two clash all the time. The extracurricular, however, is extremely important for their future and a one-time-only chance. They wouldn’t ask for help or some kind of ‘compensation’ like more time or a different deadline. On the other hand, teachers seem to be unaware of their predicament, so they can’t expect any initiative from their side either. As headboy, I should bring this to the faculty’s attention, but how do I do this without seeming accusatory or biased towards these student?” Wooseok had gotten faster and faster as he spoke and took a deep breath at the end of his sentence. Sejin followed suit.

“Wow.” he said. “That’s a lot to take in. Give me a second.”

Okay, so something they couldn’t drop - relevance was given. A high workload was to be expected, so he couldn’t start there. Accusing teacher was always a bad start, even if they were lenient. Alright.

“Okay, so when do you have your next meeting with the whole faculty?” he asked the other. Wooseok thought for a moment before he replied.

“In two weeks.” Sejin nodded, his right hand adjusting his glasses and coming to rest against his chin.

“Okay, you need to send out owls.” He looked at Wooseok who didn’t seem to follow.

“Tell them there is a situation of utmost importance regarding the well-being of two students. Try to gather them as quickly as possible and explain the whole situation to them, but don’t mention the unawareness of the teachers. This way, no one feels offended. Plus, you should probably add that this has been brought to your direct attention through a close friend of the two students, but not upon their request but his personal concern after observing their behaviour. Plus, with the fact that you pretty much witnessed a break down, you can bring in the factor of utmost importance regarding their mental health.” 

Wooseok contemplated his words for a second before nodding. Sejin took it as his cue to continue.

“Regarding the proposal you have to give for adaptations of their schedule, go with the deadline arrangement or individual arrangement by teachers. They can’t expect any cuts in their syllabus during N.E.W.T.’s but some more consideration of their situation would take a great load off of Kookheon and Yohan.” 

He finished and leaned back against his chair. Wooseok nodded along before his head jerked up.

“Wait, I never mentioned their names. How did you know it was them?” he asked incredulously. 

“Apart from the fact you just cleared up any doubt for me?” Sejin asked with a grin and Wooseok groaned. 

“Well, there are not many extracurriculars that can actually influence your future, so that narrowed it down. Plus it was regarding their health and you didn’t stress that it was their mental health after I started my suggestion, so their physical health could get affected too. There aren’t many here that have the workload of N.E.W.T.s and an important extracurricular, so I could guess it was about Gryffindor’s quidditch players.”

Wooseok seemed somewhat impressed but still confused. 

“But what about the part of someone close to them telling me?” he asked.

“That one was more of a guess,” he admitted. “You seem very serious about it but the nature of the matter is clearly something that slowly developed: stress piling up, more work, etc.. Now, you usually are very aware of what is going on in our house, so it couldn’t be about a Ravenclaw. Another house member must have told you, someone who is close to both of them and noticed their struggles.” Sejin readjusted his glasses again - they kept slipping down his nose. 

“We see Kookheon every other week and he always seemed fine to me, even after starting his extra training last year. He must’ve been hiding it. Now from what I have seen from Yohan I don’t think he wants to worry anyone. But remember, I was there when he broke down in our common room two weeks ago.” 

He looked up at Wooseok now, worry lacing his voice. Wooseok looked shaken himself and Sejin understood perfectly where he was coming from. To see someone as cheery as Yohan like this was surprising in the worst way but he was only human after all. At least he seemed to have some kind of outlet. He looked at the ceiling.

“If I’d wager a guess, I’d say Lee Jinhyuk told you.” Wooseok looked away from him and Sejin chuckled at his friend’s sudden flustered state. 

“He fits the profile: close to both of them, same house, even same year as Kookheon, on the same team with them. Plus, he seems smarter than people might give him credit for.” Maybe the light was playing a trick on his eyes but Wooseok seemed to sport a light blush on his cheeks. Sejin bit back a smirk.

“And you two had detention together - you still haven’t told me how you managed to get there, by the way - and you had to talk about something, right?” His friend’s silence told him he had hit the nail straight on the head. Wooseok looked at him sharply for a second before his face morphed into a look of determination.

“Alright, I’ll follow your plan then,” he said and grabbed ink and a quill from his bag, along with some paper to start writing the letters. Sejin nodded at that and grabbed his own quill again to finish up his homework, a two feet essay on the origin of amortentia and it’s usage. He set down the quill and… hesitated. He felt eyes on him.

He looked up quickly and met a set of eyes for a second, before they looked down. A small smile spread over his face. Cute. Wooseok cleared his throat next to him.

“Is he still watching you?” he asked and Sejin scoffed.

“You make him sound like a weird stalker,” Sejin retorted. “He’s just shy. And still hung up on ‘the incident’, I guess. But he’ll either come around or move on.” 

Wooseok raised an eyebrow at him. “Why do you sound like you are talking about a shy animal?” 

Silence. Then: “He reminds me of a squirrel I guess,” Sejin mumbled. Wooseok looked at him before his eyes moved to the boy, they were talking about, a few tables over. He seemed deep in thought.

“It’s the hair, isn’t it? And the eyes.” 

“....Yeah.” 

Wooseok snorted, grabbed his quill and started writing again. Sejin looked up again but the boy was looking at his book, seemingly deep in thought. Sejin smiled and went back to his work. They sat side by side in silence until Wooseok threw his quill on the table. 

“Alright!” he said energetically, earning him a glare and shush from their librarian Mrs Bae. Wooseok quickly apologised in a more quiet tone and started gathering his belongings. 

“I’m gonna go to the owlery to get these sent off. I’ll see you at dinner?” he asked Sejin. The other nodded.

“I’ll be there. Don’t get in trouble again!” he told Wooseok, which earned him a glare and a short slap to the back of his head, but he just grinned. 

He redirected his attention to his homework but looked up again after a few minutes. The boy had just gotten up and went into the depths of the library, presumably to look for a book. Sejin looked after him for a second before grabbing a piece of paper and his wand, which he tapped against the paper. It started folding and eventually became a tiny squirrel. 

“Go!” he whispered to the animal and it sprinted off over the table, following the boy into the library. 

.oO°Oo.

Tony walked along the shelves, searching for the potions department. It should have been somewhere around here. He turned a corner and stopped. The shelves in front of him were holding tomes, scrolls, and books about nothing other than…. divination. When did this get here?

He sighed and turned around. He either went the wrong way after all or the shelves had swapped places again; both were equally possible. At moments like this he missed the library back at Ilvermony: their library was a big open tower with study platforms on the different floors. And the shelves had been given a stern talking-to about only swapping places on their respective level, which made it easier to find everything. 

He turned around and brushed his hand through his dark red hair, messing up the strands before taking off his glasses to rub his eyes. He would need to search through the library then. A rustling to his left had him look up: a small paper squirrel was clinging to a large tome about tea leaves, head turned in his direction. A smile spread on his face.

“You’re here to save me again, right?” he asked the squirrel. The tiny origami creature was still for a moment before it climbed its way back to the end of the shelves, waiting again. Tony put his glasses back on and went after it. 

“I need to get to the potions section!” he said. The paper squirrel continued climbing along the shelves, leading him into a different part of the library, almost at the other end of the large room. Tony sighed. He really must have gone in the wrong direction after all. Scanning the shelves he found the book he was looking for: An introduction to pain relief potions. He pulled it from the shelf and turned to the squirrel that was sitting on a scroll nearby. 

“I think I can find my way back from here,” he said and the squirrel came closer, sitting right in front of him. He held out his hand in front of the animal and it hopped onto it, climbing up the sleeve of his robes until it settled on his shoulder. 

“Let’s go then.” It didn’t take him long to get lost again. This library was like a labyrinth and he was convinced the layout of the paths changed along with the position of the shelves. He leaned against a shelf on trolls next to a nice study corner beneath a window and looked at the paper animal on his shoulder, going cross eyed at the closeness. 

“Could you get me back? To the desk area?” he asked with some desperation laced in his word. The squirrel immediately climbed off of his shoulder and started jumping along shelves again. Tony followed it with a relieved sigh. He didn’t know how the little thing understood him but as long as it did, he wouldn’t be complaining. 

He reached the desk area eventually and returned to where his work was spread out across a table before glancing at his watch. It had taken him almost half an hour to get back here. A sigh left his lips and he sat down again to continue with his homework. After a while though, his concentration started to waver and he carefully lifted his gaze.

The study area was a wide open space with several long rows of desks for students to study on, chairs on both sides of each table. Two rows down across from him, a boy with pinkish hair had glasses sat, leaned back against the back of his chair with a book in his hands. He appeared to be completely engrossed in his reading, eyes flitting quickly across the lines, fingers playing with the corner of the page he was about to turn. A few strands of his hair fell into his face, but he either didn’t notice or wasn’t bothered by it. His black robes carried the emblem of Ravenclaw, his tie sporting the house’s colour.

He turned the page. The sudden movement snapped Tony out of his revery and he quickly looked down again, feeling a slight blush on his cheeks. The boy, Sejin, was a seventh year and a prefect, one year older than him. Tony had met him on his first school day here at Hogwarts.

.oO°Oo.

He had transferred to Hogwarts from Ilvermorny for his sixth year of school and had arrived in the early afternoon on September 1st, way too early for any students to have arrived at school yet. To avoid a painstakingly long flight from Massachusetts to London and a transfer onto to the Hogwarts express to spend another few hours to get to Scotland, he had been granted the use of a portkey from school to school.

So he had arrived at Ilvermorny shortly before 2 PM and had been given some final instructions about the travel procedure before he had grabbed the portkey (a cauldron) to Hogwarts. He had arrived extremely early, dropping into the Headmaster’s office only moments later but he had wanted to avoid being late on his first day. 

Portkeys had a nasty habit of being affected by the magnetic field of the earth during transcontinental transport. It didn’t happen too often, but if it came to pass the portkey would compensate the time difference between the two places it was transferring from and to: the wizard or witch was stored in something called a time pocket. It was basically a little nook in the time-space-continuum where the unfortunate magician and his belongings would float around weightlessly for the duration of the time zone difference. 

In Tony’s case this would have amounted to 5 hours, and with his usual luck when going anywhere, his headmaster, Henry Lau, had decided to send him off early and with a lot of snacks and water. For once in his life he was in luck, however, and fell flat on his face only seconds after starting from Ilvermorny.

His fall had been cushioned by mats that covered the whole room and he had looked around confusedly before his eyes had fallen upon a tall man with dark blue robes, black wavy hair and a friendly smile behind his desk.

“I didn’t want you to hurt yourself upon arrival. You never know in which position or on what kind of floor you end up with portkeys. Seems like I was right.” he said with a small chuckle in his voice and stood up from his chair. A small flick of his wand had the mats disappear. 

“I am Hogwarts’ headmaster, Lee Dongwook. And looking at your robes, you are probably our exchange student from Ilvermorny, Yu Jiang Tian, right?” he asked and came around the desk. Tony jumped to his feet and brushed off his robes. He took the outstretched hand of Professor Lee and shook it.

“I am but I actually go by Tony for my first name…” he said quietly. Professor Lee smiled.

“I’ll note it down then, so the teachers know about it. Nice to meet you, Tony, welcome to Hogwarts,” he said, still gripping Tony’s hand. The boy smiled.

“Thank you, Sir,” he replied. 

“Now, shall we get the most important part done?” Professor Lee asked and turned towards a large shelf next to the fireplace.

“We need to get you sorted after all.” An old and beaten hat perked up at that and something resembling a mouth opened just above the rim. 

“An Ilvermorny student, eh?” the hat asked. Tony’s eyes grew larger. Was this for sorting? Professor Dongwook grabbed the hat and looked back at Tony.

“Sit down in the chair in front of the desk, please,” he said and Tony did as ordered. The headmaster sat down in his chair behind the desk again and placed the hat on the table between them.

“This,” he said, “is the Sorting Hat. He will determine your house depending on your personality. Are you familiar with our four houses?” he asked. Tony nodded.

“Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin, each resembling characteristics of their founders and symbolised by an animal as their emblem. They have their separate values but should still interact and work together to represent school unity,” he rambled off, surprised at his own words. The headmaster chuckled at his expression and nodded. 

“Correct,” he said. “Now, as our first years will be sorted into their houses later in the evening, you will hear the song our Sorting Hat prepares every year as a greeting but we’ll skip this part for now. I would like you to grab the hat and put it on your head to sort you into a house.”

Tony nodded, worrying his lower lip between his teeth and reached for the hat with slightly shaking hands. He was almost as nervous as he had been at his sorting back in Ilvermorny. Back then, he had been worried none of the houses might want to claim him - now he worried that he might not fit in anywhere. What would they do then? Would he be sent back home? He stared down at the hat in his hands.

“You don’t need to be worried.” Professor Lee’s voice cut through his thoughts. “We never had a student who wasn’t sorted and sometimes it takes a while. But that isn’t something bad - it just means that there are many characteristics in your personality and the hat tries to consider them all. So don’t be too nervous, alright.” 

Tony nodded slowly and gulped. Then he raised the hat to his head. It promptly sank over his eyes. 

“Calm your jumbled thoughts,” a high voice said into his ears and he realised it must be the hat. “Alright, let’s look at you. There’s potential and a will to work hard. But you still haven’t found confidence in your own abilities. You need to be somewhere with acceptance and support, somewhere you feel comfortable without being overwhelmed. Somewhere, where you get to be challenged in your abilities and find joy in it. I think I know where this is….” 

Challenged in his abilities? Confidence? Potential? The hat was speaking in his ear, looking through his thoughts but Tony wasn’t sure what his words meant. Did he not fit in after all? Was he too much of a liability? Was he..?

“Hufflepuff!” the hat said out loud and Tony slumped into the chair in relief. He reached for the hat and pulled it off his head, putting it on the desk with a small ‘thank you’. The hat opened its mouth again.

“You can find friends there and through them you will find confidence. Trust in yourself and your potential.” Tony nodded at his words, still somewhat stunned. He had fitted in somewhere after all. And from what the hat said, Hufflepuff sounded like a good place. Professor Lee smiled at him before taking the hat and standing up to put it back on the shelf. 

“I’m sure you will feel comfortable in your house,” he said. “Now, let’s get some remaining formalities settled.”

The headmaster had sat down back at his desk again afterwards to talk Tony through his subject choices and timetable, a painstakingly long process, before giving him an introduction to the school rules and regulations. Tony had been vaguely familiar with their system before but he was glad to hear about it again. In his nervousness he was forgetting everything he had learned about the school. 

After about 2 hours of organisational matters, a knock on the door had interrupted them and a teacher had come in. She had long dark hair and a beautiful and happy smile, her dark grey robes decorated with tiny flowers at the seams. She came closer and Tony saw that the flowers appeared to be Iris: dark blue, with a yellow centre. 

After greeting Professor Lee, she had introduced herself as Professor Kim Sejeong, the teacher for herbology, and had taken Tony with her to meet his head of house. His luggage would be taken to his dorm by the house elfs he had been told. After shaking the headmasters hand again and thanking him profusely, Professor Kim lead him down a spiral staircase and passed a gargoyle who wished them a lovely afternoon, to which the Professor had replied in a similar manner before dragging a confused Tony through the corridors.

She was talking happily about everything, how she hoped he had a good start, how nice it was to have a new student, how excited she was for the new school year and how her plants were doing great (especially the mandragoras - she had discovered they like Celine Dion). 

Tony felt himself calm down at her melodious voice and started to reply in more detail to the questions thrown at him. Eventually he gathered up the courage to ask something that had been at the back of his mind.

“So… about the house I have been sorted into…” he started off slowly. “How are they?”

Professor Kim looked at him. “You strike me as a Hufflepuff,” she said. “Am I correct?” 

He nodded. 

“Alright, so I’m gonna be honest with you: There has been a decline in house separation and prejudice in the past two decades, but you might still encounter people who look down on Hufflepuff,” she said, slowing her step a bit and seriousness tinging in her voice. 

“The houses are famous for certain characteristics - bravery, wisdom, slyness - but Hufflepuff was overlooked many times. People thought, everyone who didn’t fit in the other three, the ‘sorry leftovers’, were sorted into it. But that wasn’t ever true.” Her voice sounded proud.

“Helga Hufflepuff was known for many things but most notably for her kindness, adaptability and the talent of bringing people together despite their differences. Slytherin and Gryffindor were both rash at times, so she mediated between them. She was able to have all four figure out a standard of teaching. And, as far as I heard, she was one hell of a teacher.”

Professor Sejeong looked at him. “You can be proud to be sorted into this house, into our house. And never, I’m telling you, _ never _ once underestimate a Hufflepuff.”

She had stopped in front of a door, determination and dignity in her tone. She smirked and carefully opened the door. The sight made Tony gape. Two women, teachers apparently, were in the room, about 5 metres away from each other and engaged in a heated wizard duel. 

One of them was tall and lean, with a beauty that immediately showed her Veela blood. She whipped around gracefully, long black hair flowing like water, evading a spell and casting one back at the same time, a small smile appearing on her face. Her movements were controlled and she would have seemed effortless if not for the thin trail of sweat on her temple. 

Across from her was a tiny women with equally long hair but in a light brown tone and bangs. She was petite, in every sense of the word, but her magical presence was intense. It was like an aura glowing around her, expanding and retreating according to her movements and spell casting. She moved around like a dancer, bending and flowing through positions at an amazing speed. Her face showed a wide grin but the intensity from her eyes told a different story. She seemed completely unfazed by everything around her until her eyes widened for a second when the tall women had been distracted by Professor Kim and Tony in the doorway. She had let off a flurry of spells in an impossible short time and immediately knocked over the other women, smiling triumphantly. 

The fallen woman had looked perplexed for a moment before she threw her head back and started laughing. 

“You got me,” she said. “As always.” 

The invisible binding holding her had fallen off and she gracefully got on her feet, grinning at the smaller woman before looking towards the door. 

“But I was distracted,” she had continued. The smaller had looked at the door, her eyes widening. 

“And this is exactly what I meant,” Professor Kim had said next to Tony. “Yoojung, I’m bringing you your new student! Tony, this is your head of house.” 

Yoojung’s face had lit up and she had practically skipped to them, grabbing Tony’s hand as she got closer. She had only reached up to his shoulder but there was still this aura around her, only receding slowly. 

“I am very happy to meet you! I'm Kim Yoojung, head of Hufflepuff and teacher for Defence against the Dark Arts.” She had shaken his hand in flurry, speaking incredibly fast and Tony’s eyes must’ve been as big as saucers. A light chuckle had them turn their attention to the third woman.

“Give him a second to breathe, Yoo, or you’ll scare him off.” She had approached them with a broad smile and had shaken Tony’s hand too. 

“I am Professor Kim Doyeon, I teach Charms. Nice to meet you.” She had looked at the other two teachers afterwards. “I need to get going though, so I’ll see you later at the feast. Welcome to Hogwarts, Tony.”

She had basically floated out of the room. 

“To answer your unspoken question: Yes, she does indeed have Veela blood in her. But don’t worry, she doesn’t use it to influence people,” Professor Kim had said. 

“Now, I guess you noticed how we are all called Kim with last name,” Hufflepuff’s head of house had continued. “We tried to alleviate this problem. I allow students from my house to call me Yoojung, and Sejeong prefers her first name due to personal reasons.”

Tony had nodded - this made it a lot easier. 

The rest of the afternoon his House teacher showed him around the castle, starting from the Great Hall and some of the important classrooms and towers to the lake and the greenhouses, before they had a quick visit to the former keeper’s hut near the forest. Afterwards, it had been nearing 6.30 PM already, Professor Yoojung (it was strange to call a teacher by their first name, even with their title) had lead him to the Hufflepuff common room and dorms. 

They had been cozy and warm, decorated in yellow and brown tones, with a lot of plants in the common area (some even fluorescent) and a cat lounging on the sofa. The animal had been almost white with leopard-like spots all over it and its eyes were looking at them intelligently.

“If you’re looking for Sejeong, I’m pretty sure she went to the library to get some books on Irish beanstalks,” Professor Yoojung had said. The cat had jumped up at her words and left the room. Tony had been shown his dorm room with five beds altogether afterwards, his new robes waiting on his bed. There was a Hufflepuff pin on them already and a yellow tie next to it. 

After changing out of his blue and cranberry Ilvermorny robes he had put on the new uniform. He hadn’t been used to black before but he liked it. Yoojung had then taken him up the the entrance hall, where students had started arriving, obviously looking for someone. She stood on the Grand staircase to see across the mass of students.

“Ah there he is!” she had called eventually. “Mr Han! Seungwoo!” 

A boy with a kind smile had approached them. He was almost as tall as Tony but had broader shoulders. 

“Hello Professor, nice to see you again!” he said. “Did you have a nice summer?”

“I did,” Professor Yoojung had answered with a grin. “You too, I hope. Now this,” she had pointed at Tony, “is your new housemate. He just arrived here from Ilvermorny and will be in sixth year. Do me a favour and show him around our house a bit. And I know your schedule is full tomorrow morning, but could you hand him over to Sejin for a student introduction, please?” 

The other boy, Seungwoo, had nodded and Professor Yoojung had patted his arm before disappearing into the mass of students. 

“I’m your prefect, Seungwoo.” the other had said. “If you have any questions you can always come to me. Now shall we?” 

He had lead Tony into the Great Hall to their house table and introduced him to some people. The sorting ceremony took place after and the feast had passed in a blur, with so many new things and impressions crashing into Tony. He had fallen into his bed afterwards and slept like the dead.

Tony had had come to the Great Hall and eaten breakfast with Seungwoo the next morning before the older had handed him over to another seventh year, but from Ravenclaw. He had introduced himself as Sejin, another prefect. 

Tony had felt like he had been hit in head: the other was pretty, in an adorable and studious kind of way. He had started introducing Tony to the student body organisation, extracurriculars and the prefect system for a while before giving him some tips about subjects and what he could expect from certain teachers. 

“Any more questions?” he had asked as it neared the end of first period, as they both had their respective classes right after. Tony’s mind had been jumbled at the sudden question. He had listened attentively to the older boy but an embarrassing amount of brain power had gone into marveling over the other’s voice and kindness (and his cuteness). 

He had been taken aback and his brain was still trying to decide between “You’re really pretty” and “I am bad at introductions”, which were both not the best ideas to say, when he blurted out a mixture of both.

“You’re pretty bad at introductions.” His eyes widened just as the bell rung. Sejin’s eyebrows had shot up at his words. Tony had scrambled.

“I mean, no, I didn’t mean to, what I wanted to say, was…” he almost fell off the bench, gesturing around. Sejin had stood up and taken his bag.

“I need to get to class. See you around, I guess.” And with that he had left. Tony’s head had fallen onto the table. Nothing like a wonderful first impression on his first day, was there?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

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	8. Behold the Owl's legs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: I'll stick to the upload schedule!
> 
> Also Me: Bitch, time is an illusion

Seungwoo entered the library with a significant lack of energy. Autumn had arrived in Hogwarts a few days ago and had turned both the temperature and the weather to a less inviting state: Rain had started two days ago and hadn’t properly stopped at any point, changing between a downpour with thunderstorms to a constant drizzle, cooling the air outside considerably.

The cold and damp air was creeping in through windows and open doors and again he was grateful for the magic protecting most rooms and main corridors to keep their warmth. But it was still not completely adapted to the rapidly cooling temperatures - and especially not to the constant dreariness that came with the rain. 

Okay, maybe there were also other reasons for Seungwoo’s gloomy mood: he hadn’t slept too well, one of his favorite plants had chosen to drop all its blossoms and throw off its leaves early, leaving him with an empty stem instead of a green plant on his bedside table, he had gotten wet on his way to the greenhouses for herbology today and slipped in the mud. And he missed Seungsik.

The last feature was probably the biggest factor adding to Seungwoo’s mood. The weather last year and the years before had been just as bad but his mood had been better. Especially last year he had had the other by his side, always making him smile with his antics and a source of comfort - a feeling that was reciprocated. But right now Seungsik wasn’t here. 

“Hyung? Do you want to sit down? Or do you need to get going again?” a soft voice asked him and he returned back to reality. His feet had carried him to the study area of the library and he was standing in front of a table with Tony on the other side of it. The American boy smiled shyly at him.

Seungwoo nodded at his housemate with a soft smile and dropped his bag on the table before taking a seat opposite of Tony and taking out his astronomy notes and book together with his writing utensils. He stared at the notes for a moment before he remembered he wanted to do some revision. His thoughts really were all over the place today.

“You seem a bit off your game today, Seungwoo.” Tony remarked but it didn’t sound questioning or judgmental. He was simply stating a fact.

“If you want to take a nap, I can wake you up after half an hour or so if you want me to.” He must look really tired for the other to make this offer after he observed his behaviour for less than five minutes. Seungwoo decided to take him up on it. 

“I think I should really sleep a bit. If you could wake me?” he asked with puppy eyes for good measure. Tony threw him a kind look and nodded at him. Seungwoo thanked him with another smile and bunched up the scarf he kept in his bag in case he got cold (it was Seungsik’s) and buried his nose in the soft brown material. 

It didn’t carry the other’s smell anymore but the memories tied to it remained. Seungsik had wrapped it around his neck during a quidditch game last year: It had been extremely cold but sunny and Seungwoo had underestimated the temperature - especially the icy wind. After looking at him shiver for 10 minutes in the stands, Seungsik had taken off his scarf to wrap it around Seungwoo’s neck. He had pulled him closer to him to wrap him in it until only the upper half of his face was still visible and folded up the collar of the thick coat he was wearing to protect his now bare neck. 

Seungwoo’s protests had been muffled by the wool around him but his boyfriend had glared at him and told him to shut up and watch the game. Seungsik just didn’t want to deal with him being sick and whiny and needy. The older had shut up at that but scooted even closer to Seungsik, taking his hand and lacing their finger’s together. The scarf had been wandering between them ever since.

Seungwoo closed his eyes and let himself be carried away by sleep in the warm and quiet library. The only noises were pages being turned, books scraping softly across shelves and the light breathing of Tony opposite of him. Soon, he slipped into dreamland.

It felt like only a few moments when Tony softly shook his shoulder to wake him, but he knew that the 30 minutes had been both effective and well deserved. He felt somewhat rested when he lifted his head from his scarf and stretched his arms. His joints popped satisfyingly and he smiled at Tony before rubbing his eyes for good measure.

“Thanks for waking me,” he said, voice slightly raspy from sleep.

“It’s fine. I was entertained by enough stuff here anyway, so don’t worry about it.” He gestured at the various books and notes spread across the table top, but his eyes fixed on a point over Seungwoo’s shoulder for a moment before he looked back at the older Hufflepuff. Seungwoo had an idea what - or who - he had been looking at and glanced over his shoulder. 

His hunch was proven right when he saw Sejin sitting two table rows away, nose buried in a book and glasses slipped down to the tip of his nose. He looked back at Tony with a cheeky smile.

“I can see what kept you occupied,” he said. The younger blushed violently and looked down at his books, quickly covering his red cheeks with his hand and almost stabbing himself in the cheek with the quill he had still been holding. He ended up with a splash of ink on his right cheek. Seungwoo chuckled and waved his wand at Tony, mumbling ‘Tergeo’ in the process to clean the younger off.

“Hyuuung…” Tony whined, despair laced in his voice. Seungwoo knew about his crush on the older Ravenclaw and why he was so desperate but he also knew that Tony didn’t have to worry. Sejin had told him he wasn’t mad at him, so he could approach the older if he could find the courage and try to at least befriend him. The chair behind them scraped across the floor and Tony’s eyes followed the movement behind Seungwoo again with barely concealed puppy eyes.

“He likes Earl Grey with an extra splash of lemon,” Seungwoo said. The other looked at him confused. 

“Sejin,” he elaborated. “He goes to the Great Hall in the afternoons when he has time, around 5, to have a cup of tea before he goes to his common room. I join him sometimes. That’s how I know.”

Tony still didn’t seem to follow what he was getting at. Seungwoo sighed, a fond expression painting his face.

“He’s not mad at you, you know? Just slightly amused.” The other’s eyes widened at his words. “He surely wouldn’t mind if you joined him for a cup of tea and a chat in the Great Hall.” 

It took some seconds for his words to register, the American boy jumped up and started grabbing his stuff hurriedly. Nervousness was practically radiating off him as he looked at Seungwoo once more with a smile on his face.

“Thanks for telling me, hyung. I’ll see you later!” he said and started hurrying towards the library exit. When he opened the door to the corridor and vanished from Seungwoo’s view, a tiny owl fluttered through the slowly closing door, coming straight in his direction. 

It landed on Seungwoo’s back and shuhued, bobbing up and down. The bird was small enough to fit into his palm, with large eyes and a white and black breast, contrasting the dark brown feathers on his back and head. Seungwoo smiled and caressed his head and soft breast feathers. 

“What are you doing here, Osiris?” he asked. The tiny owl screeched loudly and he flinched and hurriedly grabbed it in his hands to hide it under the table just when Mrs. Bae looked around the corner, eyes narrowed at the noise. He smiled at her innocently and tried to muffle the chirps of the tiny owl in his hands. When she couldn’t find any obvious source of intrusion or noise, she returned into the rows of shelves.

Seungwoo let out a breath, he didn’t know he was holding, and brought his cupped hands up to his face, revealing the tiny owl on his palms. It had sat down there, obviously feeling warm and comfortable. 

“You are getting me into trouble again,” he whispered at the owl. “You gotta keep quiet, okay?”

Osiris tilted his head to both sides and clicked his beak a few times, as if asking what he meant. Seungwoo sighed and carefully put him onto the end of his scarf. 

“Stay there and be quiet,” he said and turned to his astronomy notes. He really needed to get some studying done as N.E.W.T.s were getting closer.

.oO°Oo.

It was in his fourth year at Hogwarts when he got to know Seungsik. He wasn’t completely unfamiliar with him - they were in the same house after all - but he had never spent time with the other outside of class or maybe ending up doing some homework together with the other boys from their dorm room. 

So he was surprised to enter the owlery not only without being greeted by a greedy and cuddly Aristotle, but also to same owl sitting quietly on a low beam with his eyes closed, whilst someone pet him. He recognised the boy in front of him, stopping in his tracks. Maybe he was here to send off a letter. Should he come back later to give him some privacy? But this was the school owlery after all, he didn’t need to leave.

Before he could decide on a course of action, a loud screech sounded through the tower and Seungwoo found himself with a face full of feathers. He spluttered and waved his hands around, already knowing who had attacked him with affection. He caught the tiny body between his fingers and spat out a feather that had found its way into his mouth before looking at the perpetrator. A tiny pygmy owl with dark brown feathers on his back and a light front was shuhuing contently in his loosely clenched fist: Osiris. Before he could say another word, a weight placed itself on his shoulder and a big tawny owl landed on his shoulder, slapping the back of his head with its slapping wing.

Seungwoo almost stumbled at the unexpected weight and threw a disapproving look at the owl on his shoulder.

“Seriously, Elphaba?” he said drily. “I know you want treats but this won’t get you to them faster.” 

A chuckle sounded in front of him. He looked back at his housemate and was met with a smiling face, lips stretched wide and eyes in crescents. The boy was strongly resembling a Shiba Inu, something he had noticed before. Seungsik looked at him, smile still on his face, and pulled his hand from Aristotle’s feathers.

“They really do like you. It’s amazing,” he greeted him, glancing at the owls around him. Seungwoo opened the hand he was still holding Osiris with and the small owl flattered up and landed on his head, claws digging into his scalp a bit and grabbing onto strands of his hair. He took a step towards Seungsik.

“They do, I don’t even know why. But they just…” Osiris had started slipping on his head when he started walking and was grabbing onto his hair hectically, flapping his wings and screeching excitedly. Seungwoo tried to (unsuccessfully) look up his forehead at the tiny troublemaker.

“Hey careful up there, I don’t wanna end up bald!” he called and looked back into Seungsik’s direction but his eyes focussed on the window behind the other. An owl was coming closer quickly, a familiar face looking at Seungwoo, sailing through the open window past Seungsik towards Seungwoo. And slammed straight into his stomach. 

Seungwoo felt the air leave his lungs at the impact and almost doubled over in an attempt to catch the new owl, causing Osiris to start struggling for balance again and Elphaba flapping her wings too, slapping his head several times. 

“Alright, shooo! Get off, go away for a second you little monsters!” he called and waved his arm around, careful not to hit the owls. Elphaba took off and landed on a beam above Seungsik elegantly, whereas Osiris tumbled through the air before the Hufflepuff caught him in his hands. He hooted a thanks at him. 

Seungwoo took a deep breath and looked down at the disoriented owl in his arms before he went towards the wall next to the window and sat down. He lifted the owl up to his face carefully and it playfully nipped at his nose. He smiled and inspected the bird, looking for damage. The legs seemed fine when he patted along them, stretched out the wings carefully to look for broken feathers or indications of an injury. 

The owl didn’t flinch at any of his touches and he caressed its head before taking a closer look at the eyes. They were bright yellow, but with a thin grey veil over them, a bit irregular in colour and spanning both iris and pupil on either side. Seungwoo ran his finger through the incredibly soft feathers at the neck juncture and sighed.

“Is she injured? Did she hurt herself when she slammed into you?” Seungsik was crouching in front of him, looking at the owl in Seungwoo’s lap worriedly with Osiris holding on to his shoulder. Seungwoo looked at him for a second before shaking his head. 

“She’s fine for the most part, nothing broken. But look at her eyes.” Seungsik leaned over Seungwoo’s lap to peer at the owl. He pulled his head back and looked up.

“This grey stuff seems like it shouldn’t be in her eyes,” he said. Seungwoo nodded at his words and carefully put the owl down on his robe in his lap. It sat down like it would in a nest and closed its eyes. Seungwoo continued running his fingers over its feathers. 

“Dani is our family owl. She’s had eye problems for a few years now, but I guess we really have to treat this completely. This is called a cataract, it can appear in both humans and animals. But we can treat it with magic.” he explained. “I’m gonna have to take her to Professors Im and Yoon - they’ll know what to do.” 

Seungsik nodded. 

“So that’s why she, Dani, slammed into you? She couldn’t see very well?” Seungwoo chuckled at that. 

“Partly. But she also likes to slam into people, though usually with less force. It’s her way of saying hello. If she were a human, she’d probably tackle people in a hug.” Seungsik laughed at that and grabbed Osiris, who had just fallen off his shoulder. 

“You rascal, stop making fuss over there!” he said without real anger. “Your feet and legs are just too tiny and short!”

Seungwoo snorted at that, earning him a raised eyebrow and amused smirk.

“Just throw him into your hood, he likes it there.” he advised the other. “And his legs are not exactly short.”

Seungsik looked at him with doubt in his eyes. Seungwoo smiled mysteriously and whistled in two soft sounds. Sybil came from her perch high up in the beams and landed on the floor next to him. He scratched the feathers next to her beak and grabbed a treat from his pocket to hand it to her and give Seungsik some too. Osiris squawked from the hood he had been thrown into and Seungsik dropped a treat into it, offering a second to Dani, who didn’t even open her eyes but just opened her beak like a fletchling. 

“Now, observe!” Seungwoo announced. “The legs of an owl. Pardon me, madam.” He spread out his fingers and moved his hand underneath the owl, pushing up the feathers until the legs became visible. They were about twice the length of the usually visible part. It looked comedic, like an owl imitating an owl, and Seungsik started giggling.

Seungwoo let go of Sybil and patted the gentle old barn owl again before handing her another treat. She fluttered up into the roof again and Seungwoo looked at Seungsik, who was still grinning. 

“Unexpected, isn’t it?” he chuckled. The other nodded and scratched the sleeping Dani in Seungwoo’s lap before dropping onto his bum too, sitting cross-legged.

“Definitely," he replied. “You really do have a knack for animals and plants, don’t you? All magic creatures we handled since starting Care of Magical Creatures last year loved you and your plants always survive in herbology.” He played with a strand of straw, his fingers fiddling with it. 

“And the owls just adore you. It’s amazing. I heard about it before but I thought the extent was exaggerated. But now…” he continued, looking up at Seungwoo with his Shiba Inu smile. Seungwoo looked taken aback at that.

“What do you mean you heard about it?” he asked. 

“I tutor Dongpyo, you know,” Seungsik explained. “And he kept gushing about you after you ‘saved’ him from that big guy over there, so I knew he just wanted cuddles when came right at me.” He pointed at Aristotle. Seungwoo hummed in understanding. 

“They are just easier to understand and they understand me just as well,” he said but Seungsik looked a bit lost. “The owls I mean.”

“That’s a really admirable characteristic,” the other said after a moment. His eyes were cast down and he seemed lost in thought.

“You think so?” Seungwoo asked with raised eyebrows. He hadn’t expected this reaction. 

“Yes. Many people think they have to prove everything through words and grand gestures and even though this might be nice sometimes, they forget about just simply enjoying someone’s presence or just being there, always behind them. No words needed, just a silent understanding.” 

Now this was definitely unexpected. Seungsik had hit close to home with that - Seungwoo was a person that communicated through actions and body language a lot. He could be talkative too, but he preferred the presence and comfortability of a wordless understanding he developed with people he was close with. Someone who he didn’t have to explain his actions or behaviour to. 

Owls definitely fell into this category, animals in general. They communicated differently and Seungwoo understood this specific way. It was simpler but with miniscule details that took time and patience to understand. Seungsik didn’t strike him as someone who was as animal-inclined as him but he definitely understood the sentiment.

A slightly awkward silence stretched between them, with Seungwoo unsure how he should react to. He lifted his head to look up at Seungsik and opened his mouth when a deafening screech stopped him. 

Osiris had climbed his way out of the hood he had been in and was now loudly demanding attention. Seungwoo and Seungsik exchanged a look. Then they burst into laughter.

.oO°Oo.

They ended up bringing Dani to Professor Im to get her treated. The teacher took her in carefully and told Seungwoo that she should be fine by the end of the week before shooing them off to get to dinner. They continued talking on the way there and sat down together.

Their friendship developed easily from there. Seungwoo discovered Seungsik’s love for Astronomy. The other had practically all constellations and every single star memorised and knew the legends to most of them. He had started naming the nameless school owls after a while and introduced Seungwoo to his owl, Ophiuchus, an Ural owl with a very strong will. 

They came into each other’s lives like puzzle pieces, fitting seamlessly. Jinhyuk and Seungyeon easily included him into their conversations and Seungwoo already got along with Wooseok and Sejin through from Ravenclaw, but he got to know them better through his new friend. Yohan immediately jumped at the opportunity of a new hyung and Dongpyo and Byungchan joined in into the excitement.

Seungwoo had been curious how Junho and Seungsik would get along and he was pleasantly surprised. They quickly discovered they had the same kind of sassy humor with Seungsik being more talkative than Junho. But instead of possibly undermining the other’s confidence with this, he became more of another source of energy for the younger Ravenclaw. Seungsik started sitting next to the other, occasionally putting a hand on his arm or shoulder and subtly including him into any headassery their friend group was talking about now. Whenever the younger seemed nervous, he glanced at Seungsik for a moment and they expanded each other’s roasting in the most effective way. Some of the less quick-witted ones of their group were lost at their joined force.

Seungwoo noticed some new habits adding themselves to his normal schedule. They automatically gravitated towards each other when they needed partners in class, practised and studied together or just spent free time around each other. Seungwoo found himself going to the library shortly before it closed to get Seungsik from the Astronomy section before it closed. Seungsik did the same for him, fetching him from the owlery or green houses before curfew.

Several times it happened that they sat at lunch and Seungwoo felt a head dropping onto his shoulder. The younger had stayed up most of the night on these occasions to watch a certain star or astronomy-related event, and sometimes Seungwoo joined him. Most of the time they even had permission to do so (Professor Ong was very lenient and joined them at some point to explain some more complex details). 

Seungsik could spend the days after recounting every single detail about the stars on that particular event, usually when Seungwoo was spending a free afternoon in the green house, taking care of the plants he tried growing. Seungsik always sat in the corner with a book, making remarks, reading or just watching. Seungwoo never felt uncomfortable or rushed - quite opposite. They enjoyed each other’s presence, talking or quietly. And laughing.

“Aren’t you beautiful!” Seungwoo whispered as he carefully put the sleeping mandragora into it’s new pot and poured earth onto it before patting it. The sensitive plant had been extremely tired from moving green houses, so it didn’t even react to leaving it’s earthy bed. Seungsik snorted loudly behind him and Seungwoo whirled around to his friend. 

“Shhhh! The baby just fell asleep!” he whisper-shouted. Seungsik looked at him, unimpressed.

“You said the same about Dongpyo just two days ago, you know. I can’t really take you seriously on this,” he replied with a deadpan expression. Seungwoo raised an eyebrow at him. 

“Funny coming from the one describing Orion as the ‘sexiest lad among the stars’,” he countered and checked on the other mandragora. They were all sleeping tightly. Seungsik followed him like a lost puppy.

“That’s because it’s true! Orion’s sexiness among the stars has been the stuff of legends…!” Someone cleared their throat behind them. Professor Sejeong was standing in the doorway with a highly amused expression on her face, eyes flitting in between them.

“Now, I really don’t want to cut short this interesting conversation between you two but you need to get to dinner,” she said with a twinkle in her eyes. Seungwoo nodded and quickly grabbed his tools and gloves, storing them in his bag. They both bid her goodbye and made their way back to the castle, the grass under their feet already slightly damp and the sun setting over the Forbidden Forest. 

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

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	9. Coffee, cats and a sad boy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time is an illusion and I'm not two weeks late

Minhee was definitely not a morning person. There were few things as bad as being woken from the sweet embrace of sleep, but it was even worse when he theoretically would be able to sleep in. On a Saturday. At 8.37 AM. So basically in the middle of the night.

That darned cat that was constantly around Wonjin had come into their dorm and pounced on the bed it thought Wonjin was in. It either didn’t know that they had swapped beds at the beginning of the year or it just didn’t care at all. 

So, at 8.37 AM Minhee had found himself with a face full of brown fluffy fur landing on his face and a rough tongue licking his face before he yelled.

“Oh, hell no!” had echoed through the room, waking the other occupants effectively and scaring the cat away to the foot of his bed. It sat down there, tail bushy in shock and eyes wide open. Minhee glared at it.

“Wonjin, I hate you.” he hissed and fell back on his pillow. His heart rate had shot up at the shock – he wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep after that. Minhee threw his arm over his eyes and heard steps approaching his bed. Wonjin must have gotten up from his bed.

“What are you doing here?” he asked softly, probably picking up the cat. Minhee groaned.

“Waking me up and ruining my morning,” he grumbled.

“Oh, stop complaining, you giant grouch and just get up to get coffee.” Wonjin chuckled. The tiny brown cat snuggled into his hands and meowed quietly. Minhee groaned one more time before rolling to the edge of his bed to get up.

He didn’t get far. His legs had tangled in the sheets during the night and when he tried to swing his legs out of bed, his whole body followed involuntarily. The fall was short and he was somewhat glad for the green comforter wrapped around him to cushion his fall. But it still hurt nonetheless. 

“I hate this existence,” he whined laid his forehead on the cold floorboards before a hand touched his shoulder. He groaned again for good measure before he looked at the person touching his shoulder. It was Hyeop. His bed was next to Minhee’s and he must’ve woken up from the noise. 

“You okay there?” he asked slightly worried. He nodded and his friend started pulling off the sheets from around him to free his tangled body. Another pair of hands grabbed at the sheets - Wonjin must’ve started helping. Minhee refused to move however until the last sheet layer was off and he was hit with the cold air of the dorm. A foot poked his butt.

“Get up from the floor and go get coffee already, Minnie. You look pathetic.” Hyeop said amusedly at his friends antics before climbing back into bed and grabbing the book from his nightstand. Minhee followed his words and slowly pushed himself to his knees before getting up to grab clothes and his toiletries for a trip to the bathroom. 

When he finally arrived in the Great Hall 20 minutes later, his mood hadn’t improved and he felt even sleepier than before. He stumbled through the door, spotted some familiar faces - even though they were somewhat blurry - and plopped down on a chair next to them before laying his head on the table again. 

A hand entered his sight after about a minute and pushed a cup of coffee towards him. He groaned in relief and lifted his head from the table whilst grabbing the cup and bringing it to his mouth. The liquid was still extremely hot, not cooled even a bit by the milk, but he still sipped some of it before leaning against the shoulder next to him. 

“You look like shit,” a voice opposite commented and the body he was leaning against hummed in agreement before patting his head softly. So Junho was his hold this morning and Eunsang in charge of sarcastic comments. Everything followed the usual routine then. 

He just kept on sipping his cup until it was empty and he unwillingly lifted his head from Junho. The boy had a surprisingly comfortable shoulder. He looked for the coffee when a hand held the pot before him. 

“Do you want some more?” a third voice asked. He nodded and blearily blinked at the pot before holding out his cup. His eyes looked up the arm of the person from were they held the pot in long thin fingers to a kind face with a pointy nose and brown curly hair, an amused smile showing on his lips. 

Minhee’s still sleep-muddled brain wasn’t able to put a name to a face before he saw the prefect badge on the other’s robes. This was Koo Jungmo, one of Ravenclaw’s prefects and a year older than the other three boys at the table. A hand waving in front of his face snapped him out of his daze.

“Do you want a croissant?” Junho asked him, offering the baked good to him. Minhee answered with a glare, which made Junho snort in amusement. He knew he hated breakfast. He pulled his cup to himself, which he realised he had still been holding out, and added a splash of milk to it. Eunsang chuckled at him and Jungmo looked slightly concerned.

“Did you sleep enough? You look practically dead on your feet.” he said, worry audible in his words. Eunsang just laughed at that. 

“He’s always like that,” he explained. Jungmo raised an eyebrow at his words and glanced at Minhee’s pale face again.

“He is a night owl, that’s true, but he usually gets enough sleep. He’s just not a morning person plus he has low circulation and blood pressure, so without coffee he’s practically a zombie.” 

“I’m surprised he’s up at this hour on a Saturday, to be honest, but seeing how he didn’t even get to his house table, he was probably woken up,” Junho added. Jungmo still seemed sceptical but Minhee just nodded in agreement with his eyes closed again and head hanging low while he waited for his coffee to cool a bit.

“That damned cat jumped me,” he grumbled. Eunsang and Junho looked as confused as Jungmo at that. 

“What cat?” Eunsang asked. Minhee glared at him.

“That damn cat that is always around Wonjin. It didn’t seem to know we swapped beds and jumped straight on my face,” he hissed. Junho snorted and almost choked on some crumbs of his Croissant whilst Eunsang looked astonished and reached across the table to pat Minhee’s cheek.

“Minnie, I’m so proud of you! I don’t think I have ever heard you say that many words before your fourth cup of coffee! And at once!” he said and wiped a fake tear. Minhee just glared at him again. It was quiet for a few moment, save for Eunsang’s marveling, until Jungmo lifted his cup of tea to his mouth, took a sip and looked straight at Minhee.

“You are a really grumpy fellow, aren’t you?” he asked, tone carefully neutral. Minhee frowned and looked at him with a glare.

“Well not everyone can be a bloody sunshine in the bloody morning,” he bit back. A hand hit his head lightly from behind and he slowly turned around. Hyeop was standing behind him, disapproving look on his face and hands on his hips.

“Try to behave yourself, Grinch, or your existence will be ended quicker than you would expect,” he said and grabbed his friend’s upper arm softly.

“Sorry ‘bout him, he’s just a giant grouch in the morning. And this one really wasn’t best for him, so don’t take it personal please.” he directed at Jungmo and pulling Minhee up. It was faster than expected and Minhee hadn’t grabbed his cup of coffee before Hyeop started dragging him along to their table, mumbling about manners and Minhee stretched out his hands for his lost cup.

“Stop squirming, we got coffee over here too,” Hangyul said when Hyeop dropped his struggling housemate next to him and sat down himself. Minhee grabbed another cup, poured himself coffee and looked around him. Wonjin sat opposite of him and held up the basket with rolls and Croissants questioningly. Minhee groaned and dropped his head on his arms. 

He hated mornings.

.oO°Oo.

Now if you asked Wonjin about memorable things in his daily routine, he’d probably say something about a cat and a grinch. Even after more than 4 years of rooming together he was still fascinated by how Minhee was not able to function in the morning. It had been a lot cuter during their first few years when a sleepy Minhee came stumbling in, looking like a lost little puppy and usually curled up against the closest person before sipping on his tea. 

As he had gotten older, tea had not done the trick anymore and he had swapped to coffee. But he had also gotten less adorable and a whole lot more grumpy. Wonjin knew not to take it personally because the other was a truly nice and enjoyable person when properly awake (though somewhat dumb at times). But in the mornings…

The cat was another story. He had known it for two years by now and adored it. The tiny bundle of brown fluffy fur had sat down next to his homework in the library one day, tail curled neatly around its feet and and eyes looking straight at him. It had let him pet it when he stretched out his hand and curled up in his lap after a while. 

He didn’t know if it belonged to anyone but he started meeting it randomly around the castle. It even figured out how to enter the Slytherin’s common room and dorm and came to see Wonjin in the morning or sometimes late in the evening. It never let anyone else pet it though, always running off or hiding behind Wonjin, so his housemates got used to it. Minhee and Hyeop had once asked him if it had a name but Wonjin had just shaken his head. He never gave it a name. 

He didn’t feel the need to - there was an uncanny intelligence in the glowing eyes of the feline whenever he spoke to it. As if it understood every word he said. It was a bit strange, but it would’ve felt like a degradation to name a creature of the intelligence just for convenience’ sake (and he didn’t really have ideas either). So cat it was.

The animals behaviour had continued to confuse him. It had appeared during his third year and his housemates and some of his older friends had seen it, as it was often around Wonjin when he had some free time, especially when he was by himself. But his best friend was one of the few who had never seen it.

Hyeongjun loved to complain about that fact. The Hufflepuff loved cats or any cute animal at that, so when Wonjin had told him about the cat for the first time, he had been excited and demanded to meet it. But it never came to pass.

Whenever the cat was around, Wonjin was either not with Hyeongjun or the animal refused to go anywhere with him. He couldn’t just pick it up and carry it without insulting the feline (he had tried once - it didn’t end too well), and no one knew where Hyeongjun was when he was with the cat. It was frustrating but his friend had accepted it at some point.

“Maybe it just doesn’t like me the way I like it. Cats are sensitive and they stay away from people they don’t like after all,” he had said with a dejected tone and sad smile. Wonjin had protested loudly at that.

“No, it also refuses to be touched by anyone else! I don’t even know why it comes to me all the time! I’m sure if it actually met you, it would love you!” he had rambled out, hands gesturing wildly, voice getting louder. Hyeongjun had smiled a bit at that and patted Wonjin’s arm, claiming it was okay.

So even now, two years later at the beginning of fifth year, the cat and Hyeongjun hadn’t met. However, Wonjin, Hyeongjun and the cat had some kind of morning routine, at least on weekends. The cat would sneak into the Slytherin dorm and jump on Wonjin to wake him, cuddling up to him for a bit before he got up to get ready for the day.

Whenever he returned from the bathroom, the cat was already gone so he started to make his way towards the Great Hall, scanning the Hufflepuff table for his friend's face. Sometimes Hyeongjun was already there and waved at him to take the spot he had kept empty for him, sometimes it was the other way round. 

The only change in this routine was towards the end of their fourth year when Wonjin had walked into the common room on his way to breakfast to see the cat hadn’t left yet. Instead it was sitting on a sofa - or more specifically on a person’s lap on the sofa. Wonjin had been incredibly surprised and slowly approached the sofa. He recognised the boy as Dohyun, an energetic and slightly shy third year at the time. He was quietly talking to the cat.

“...really glad you stayed with me there. It was a bit scary, you know. If I had been alone I had probably freaked out.” Wonjin saw the cat rub its head against Dohyun’s hand and the younger boy smiled before he looked up.

“Oh, eh, good morning hyung!” he hurriedly said, surprised at the other’s presence. The cat fixed Wonjin in a stare before hopping off Dohyun’s lap, circling Wonjin’s legs for a moment and then leaving towards the exit. Wonjin looked at Dohyun with a small smile.

“Impressive, I’ve never seen anyone else who could touch it,” he said. The younger flushed and lowered his head. 

“I got lost in the older part of the dungeons a few days ago and it found me and brought me back out,” he whispered, a light flush adorning his cheeks. Wonjin nodded in sympathy - the old part of the dungeons was incredibly confusing and like a labyrinth. He had gotten lost in there once too, had only found out due to Hyeongjun’s incredible sense of direction. Without his friend, he would’ve been stuck in there.

Same friend grabbed the bread basket from his hands and sat down next to him, effectively ripping him out of thought. He sent a smile and a happy morning greeting to the boys around them and grabbed a roll from the basket before handing it over to Seungyeon. 

“Thank god, you’re a saviour, Hyeongjunnie!” the seventh year said dramatically. “Wonjin was holding the basket for the last 5 minutes, I wasn’t sure if he was turning into a statue!” 

Wonjin spluttered at that and Hyeongjun giggled next to him as he watched a light yellow streak appear in Seungyeon’s hair, vanishing seconds after. He must’ve zoned out completely before the Hufflepuff had arrived here. An arm nudged his side.

“What’s with Minnie?” his younger friend asked and pointed towards the pile of pity that was their friend, by now nursing his fourth cup of coffee. 

“He was woken up by the cat jumping on his face this morning. He’s been really grumpy and Hyeop had to drag him over here from the Ravenclaw table when he got snarky,” he explained. Hyeongjun giggled again and stretched his arm across the table to pat their friends head. Minhee lifted his face from his arms and looked at Hyeongjun slightly more awake than ten minutes ago and with a small smile.

“Junnie, you are the only joyful thing I have encountered this morning!” he claimed sleepily. Wonjin got where he was coming from: Hyeongjun was adorable. Tiny, with cherubic features, curly brown hair and a sweet nature. He was like a little angel with the personality of a puppy. He often felt the urge to pinch his cute cheeks or just cuddle his friend (which he did occasionally); he could definitely understand Minhee’s sentiment.

An arm nudged his side and he looked over to Seungyeon on his other side. The older leaned towards him with a cheeky grin.

“I can practically feel how whipped you are from here; dial it down on the heart eyes a bit if you don’t want him to notice, lover boy,” he whispered into his ear. Wonjin felt heat creep up on his face as he looked at his housemate with wide eyes. Had he been that obvious? Seungyeon winked at him and turned back to his conversation with Hangyul.

Wonjin looked back over at Hyeongjun who had started feeding pieces of his roll to Minhee who happily complied. It was sweet of him, as he knew Minhee would skip breakfast most days in favour of coffee. It was so typical of his friend to be not only the cutest person ever but also to be thoughtful and consider other people’s feelings and read their emotions and…

Wonjin stopped his train of thought; no wonder Seungyeon said he was obvious. He really was whipped. He had accepted his crush on his friend a while ago, friendly feelings having slowly turned towards a romantic interest but he couldn’t just bother the other with it. This was his problem and he feared Hyeongjun might try to give him some space to get over it if he told him.

This was a risk, however, he wasn’t willing to take. He’d rather have his feeling unrequited and the younger around him, unaware of his emotions, than Hyeongjun trying to be considerate about it and possibly overthinking their interaction. Because above anything else, he was his best friend. And he wasn’t willing to risk their friendship.

“Guys, did you finish the homework for History of Magic already?” Hyeop asked them suddenly. Wonjin and Hyeongjun shook their heads and Minhee shot up from the table. 

“We had homework?” he asked, expression baffled. Hyeop looked at him with a deadpan expression before turning his attention towards the other two. 

“Do you wanna meet up in the library to do it?” he asked. Wonjin nodded immediately - he had no clue where to start on that assignment and would probably need help anyway. Group Work had saved his sorry ass several times when it came to History of Magic. Hyeongjun agreed too and Minhee nodded frantically. 

“Then we should probably get going - the earlier we finish, the more time we have in the afternoon,” Hyeop said and got up from his chair, pulling Minhee up by his collar. “Let’s get our stuff!” 

He started walking towards the doors, followed by the others as they went to their respective common rooms to grab their bags and reunite in the entrance hall (Hyeongjun was a Hufflepuff after all) before making their way to the library.

.oO°Oo.

Minkyu lifted his head when he heard a familiar giggle. He was seated in the main study area of the library, close to the windows, and had been here since the library had opened at 8AM. Sleep had evaded him this morning and he had been feeling tired for the past week, probably due to stress. His prefect duties had been keeping him occupied a lot this shortly before Halloween.

He had been constantly fixing the result of a prank that was currently going around - a rather smelly prank he didn’t want to think about right now - and the workload of the fifth years had been nothing to sneeze at either. 

Diligent as he was, he had tried to keep up with everything and have a stern talk with the supposed instigators of the prank, but he hadn’t really succeeded at the latter. He was a more soft-spoken person and people didn’t really take his authority seriously. So when he had inquired who was behind the prank, no one had given up any names. He had a hunch who’s doing it was but he didn’t have proof. 

One of his classmates had even joked that without using his inherited powers he couldn’t get anything he wanted. Minkyu had felt dejected at that and ignored the comment but he could hear the snickers. The person probably didn’t mean any harm by it but it still bothered the Hufflepuff. His family had had Veela blood in their line for a few generations by now, which explained both their good looks and people’s readiness to assist them if they really wanted them too. 

Minkyu always felt embarrassed at that. He understood why people liked his face (it was genetic after all) but he didn’t want to be reduced to that. He had never used his persuasion powers, rather suppressing them and doing his best. His closer friends knew about that but many people still joked about it. 

He wasn’t especially talented or always top of his class. But he was hardworking to get everything out of his own abilities, even if it was almost too much sometimes.

The giggle re-focussed his attention again: a table across the area was occupied by four students - three Slytherins and a Hufflepuff, all of them familiar faces - and the small Hufflepuff, Hyeongjun, had just giggled. Wonjin, the taller boy with the wavy black hair next to him, had just dropped his head on his textbook and was whining about something Minkyu couldn’t understand. The two Slytherin boys opposite of them watched with obvious amusement when the small boy leaned his body against the whining boy, nuzzling his shoulder a bit and wrapping an arm around his shoulders until he stopped whining. 

When the taller boy straightened up again, the Hufflepuff looked up and saw Minkyu. He flashed a smile, lifted his hand and waved. Minkyu waved back shyly when the other three greeted him too. He knew all of them - Hyeongjun was from his house after all and the three Slytherin boys were friendly and close friends of his. Especially Wonjin he was familiar with, as the Slytherin was Hyeongjun’s closest friend and a frequent visitor at their common room too.

The boys turned back at their homework and Hyeongjun pulled the book closer to himself, pointing at some things on the page. Wonjin leaned closer, his hand placed on the back rest of the smaller’s chair and their heads almost touching. Minkyu felt a pang of jealousy and quickly looked back at his own notes. Deciding he couldn’t concentrate, he packed them away and got up from his chair, walking quickly towards the door. The room suddenly felt stuffy and he needed some air.

His feet carried him down the hallways and up the stairs until he came to a stop in front of a wooden door leading to one of the small towers that were scattered all across the upper floors of the castle. He opened it and climbed up the narrow spiral staircase until he reached the top of the tower. He looked into the small room with pillows and blankets strewn all over the floor. It was empty as expected.

He sat down in the corner and wrapped a blanket around his shoulders, pulled his knees to his chest and leaned his forehead against them. Great, he was getting emotional. It must be the lack of sleep. He felt tears threaten to roll down and angrily shook his head. He wouldn’t cry because of a bad day, because of some… jealousy.

Because that’s what it was, what he felt. He was incredibly jealous. And it made him feel horrible. But he couldn’t help it, he was in way too deep. Hyeongjun was one of his closest friends and he really liked Wonjin, but he had been crushing on his younger housemate for a long time now. That in itself was not too bad, considering how kind Hyeongjun was and how they spent a lot of time together. Minkyu might have built up the courage to confess to him if it wasn’t for one thing: Wonjin.

One evening about a year ago, Hyeongjun had confided in him about his feelings towards his best friend and Minkyu had patiently listened and encouraged the younger. Because that was his duty as a friend and he wanted him to be happy. He wasn’t blind either - the two friends fit together perfectly and there was so much affection between them, he was surprised sometimes how they weren’t dating already. 

But after Hyeongjun had gone to bed, Minkyu had come here, to his little tower. He had sat down on the pillows and stared blankly at the wall until he felt tears roll over his cheeks. He hadn’t been surprised about what the younger had told him but it still hurt. But he didn’t show any of it outside this tower. Just like he did now.

“Bad day, hmm?” a voice asked next to him and an arm wrapped around his shoulders with a small body pressing into his side. He leaned into the embrace and breathed deeply. He must have overheard anyone entering, but only one other person came here apart from him. Dongpyo hummed and rocked them from side to side slowly, stroking his hair with his other hand. 

“You can feel jealous, you know?” he said. “It doesn’t make you a bad person. Seungsik-hyung told me to express my emotions to avoid them piling up and dragging me down. Maybe you should do that too.” 

Minkyu hummed noncommittal - emotions could be dangerous with Veela blood. Plus, he would be burdening people around him. He rather felt the knot in his chest, even though it sometimes felt suffocating.

“I know you probably won’t listen to me.” Dongpyo sighed, his lisp more apparent when he spoke quietly but there was no accusation in his words. 

They had met here last year, Dongpyo stumbling in on Minkyu sitting in the cold and empty tower and joining him, asking what was wrong. He didn’t really know the younger, had only seen him in passing in the hallways. When Minkyu hadn’t replied, Dongpyo had just said that if he didn’t want to tell him, it was fine and he would just tell him about his frustrations instead. 

He had started ranting about things that annoyed him, ranging from homework assignments to how he often became the victim to pranks by one of his housemates. He even complained about two of his older friends who had just become a couple, saying they were like a domestic old married couple, but the obvious fondness in his voice had made Minkyu chuckle. 

Eventually Dongpyo had gotten up and said he needed to go, a happy smile painting his lips. He had patted Minkyu’s shoulder and left. When Minkyu had come to his tower two days later, he had been surprised by the various pillows strewn all over the floor and Dongpyo with a book in his lap in the corner. He had looked up at him, patting the pillow next to him and asked him about his day. And something had snapped in Minkyu like a rubber band holding everything back and he had sat down and just poured everything out at Dongpyo.

The other had put his book down, nodding and humming along to his words, taking everything in. When he was done he had leaned back against the pillows feeling incredibly drained. But a good kind of drained, as if a lot of negativity had left him. Dongpyo had commented on a few things and accepted everything without any judgement.

It had become their habit to meet up here and release pent up emotions, mostly Dongpyo though. Occasionally Minkyu would let out some of his thoughts and worries too but not too often. He told Dongpyo about his day instead and the other picked up easily on the bits that bothered him and started ranting. It was almost like an outlet through a different person and the knot in his chest seemed to loosen up a bit.

And if he didn’t want to talk, Dongpyo would just hug him and comfort him. Minkyu didn’t know why the younger had decided to be his friend but he sure was glad about it. Moments like these brightened up his day, and this particular day had started badly, but it was getting better.

Dongpyo leaned back against the wall and started talking about how he was a bit worried about Seungwoo - the older seemed to miss his boyfriend quite a bit - and complained about how ‘Yohan’s whipped ass should get his shit together and stop mooning over Junho’. 

Minkyu had to snort at that. Dongpyo was definitely right: the only people who didn’t seem to know how Yohan and Junho were absolutely in love with each other were Yohan and Junho. Dongpyo had even told him about the bets he had with Byungchan and Jinhyuk about who would make the first move, but with a strict no-involvement policy from their side. These two needed to figure it out themselves. 

The news about Seungwoo made him thoughtful. The older prefect had been a great help and had tried to ease Minkyu into his prefect duties, kind and supportive as always. Maybe he should try to give him some space to ease his worries if he was already missing Seungsik… Minkyu decided to try his best without bothering Seungwoo and nodded slightly before tuning in on Dongpyo ranting again.

His arms tightened around the younger’s waist a bit. He felt safe. The knot loosened a bit again.

.oO°Oo.

Jungmo was a rather complacent person. He wasn’t surprised easily either and just took things as they came. He had been, however, surprised twice today. And by the same person at that.

When he had gotten up this morning, he had been planning on a relaxed breakfast with a trip to the common room after to finish his book before heading to the library. Getting up had been an easy task - his morning routine so ingrained in his body he didn’t need an alarm anymore - and he had only stopped to throw the blanket back over Yunseong’s chaotic sleeping form before he left the dorm room. Really, the boy looked like he didn’t have bones at all, the way he was stretched out, limbs in weird positions and mouth open, some drool on his cheek. 

Wooseok was already in the common room, curled up on the sofa with a book on his lap and round glasses perched on the tip of his nose. He looked absolutely adorable but Jungmo had to suppress a laugh when he saw his face from a closer distance: the other was so focussed he had gone a little cross-eyed. A snort behind him broke the silence and attracted Wooseok’s attention.

Eunsang and Junho had just come down the stairs, probably heading to breakfast too. Junho looked as indifferent as every morning before he got his daily dose of energy and Eunsang was surprisingly energetic, considering he usually stayed up late. Wooseok pushed up his glasses and raised an eyebrow at him.

“You looked like Heidi Glubsch right now, Wooseok!” Eunsang sang and skipped towards the sofa, leaning over the backrest into Wooseok’s personal space. 

“What’s that?” Jungmo asked curiously, glancing at Junho who just shrugged. Eunsang grinned innocently.

“A very cute animal that lived in a muggle zoo! The resemblance really was uncanny right now!” he continued and tried to ruffle the older boy’s hair but Wooseok whacked him in the head with his book. 

“If you say so.” he sighed and reopened his book. “Now bugger off and let me read in peace,” he said over Eunsang’s whining and patted the younger’s head.

Junho approached the sofa and grabbed Eunsang’s shoulders to steer him towards the door and Jungmo followed them. Their trip down to the Great Hall went by in comfortable silence and they had only sat at their table for a few minutes when the unfamiliar boy had dropped onto the chair next to Junho. 

Jungmo had been a bit stunned by this but Eunsang and Junho were completely unfazed by the other’s grumpy behaviour. When the other had glared at them, Jungmo had raised his eyebrows but still the boys remained calm about it. This was either an elaborate joke or some serious headassery on side of the boy - Minhee, as he found out through Eunsang’s strange praise. 

What really had made him a bit mad was the boy’s disrespectful reaction to his question - especially because they didn’t know each other - and he had felt a bit relieved when the other boy’s friend had appeared and dragged him over to his house table.

So he had been a Slytherin. A tired, unfriendly, bratty, whiny Slytherin. With a somewhat cute pout. Not that it matter, but Jungmo had hidden his smile at the other’s adorable and desperate expression when he had been forced to leave his coffee behind. Junho and Eunsang had reassured him that he shouldn't be bothered by Minhee’s behaviour and that it hadn’t been anything personal. But Jungmo had still felt confused about the encounter. 

He had followed his plan anyhow, returning to the common room to finish his book and joining Wooseok on the sofa he was still on. They had sat at the opposite ends of it, reading quietly until Sejin had joined them in an armchair and stared off into space for a while.

Wooseok had closed his book after five minutes and looked at his friend, raising an eyebrow. Sejin had just looked at him, an obvious question in his eyes, before his eyes had flitted to Jungmo and then back at the headboy. Wooseok had rolled his eyes at that and looked at Jungmo who was extremely confused by the exchange.

“Sejin wants to ask you if you know how Tony is doing,” he had said with some exasperation in his voice. Jungmo had felt taken aback by the question and looked back at Sejin who had just nodded with a slightly embarrassed expression on his face. 

“Fine? I guess?” he had replied hesitantly. “I mean I don’t have too many classes with him, but the few times I spoke to him he was doing well. I think he gets along with Seungwoo really well and this Chinese boy, Wei Zhi Yue. So yeah, that’s what I know...”

Wooseok had snorted at this, mumbling something about Seungwoo adopting every confused child in his reach and Sejin had nodded at Jungmo and pulled out a book from god knew where. Jungmo was convinced the other had used an Extension charm on his robes with all the books he always seemed to carry with him.

Jungmo had just stayed there with them until they all headed to lunch for a quick snack and each went their own way. Jungmo had gone to the library to study and do homework in his favourite corner hidden in the charms section. He was up to date with most of his work, which worked in his favour, and so he had decided to just take his time and work through his older notes for now. 

He had been working for approximately two hours when someone knocked on the bookshelf hiding the table from view and Jungmo looked up. It was the boy from this morning, Minhee, who peaked around the shelf shyly. 

“Excuse me?” he said quietly. “I really don’t want to disturb you but…”

He stepped out from behind the shelf and Jungmo saw how he had his hands clasped in front of him nervously wringing them. His eyes flitted around nervously, his black hair falling into them before he finally focused on Jungmo.

“I… want to apologise for my behaviour this morning,” he said quietly but with a determined tone. “I was disrespectful and unfriendly and I know that’s not how I should behave.” 

Jungmo’s eyebrows shot up at that. He hadn’t expected this from the younger at all. 

“I know it’s a bad excuse, but I really don’t function well in the morning which is why my friends always just ignore me until I have some caffeine in my system. I swear, it was never my intention to insult you or anything, I was just in a really bad mood this morning because the cat jumped at my face and I fell out of bed and I was just tired.” He stopped his rant with a deep breath and looked up at Jungmo with a slight blush colouring his cheeks, taking a small step forward and locking eyes with Jungmo.

“So what I wanna say is: I’m sorry. I can’t promise I won’t be grumpy again but I’ll try to behave myself better - not just around you but in general,” he spoke calmly, keeping their eye contact. Jungmo nodded slowly at his words. 

“That’s... fine,” he replied and leaned back in his chair, a small smile on his lips. 

“I didn’t expect you to come to me and apologise. For you to explain yourself and to try and better yourself - that’s a good trait in a person. And I’m not gonna lie: after this morning I thought you were a real brat. But you proved me wrong.” 

His smile was full blown now and Minhee’s ears had gotten deep red.

“So I accept your apology. It’s alright, Minhee.” The younger visibly brightened at this and let out a breath he must have been holding, his stance relaxing. 

“Thank you,” he breathed out with a wide smile. “I’m gonna leave you to your studying then. Thanks for your time.”

He turned around with a small nod which Jungmo answered in turn and went to leave when the older remembered something he had asked himself. 

“How did you find me here?” he asked curiously. Minhee stopped and looked over his shoulder. 

“Not many know this study corner, so I was just wondering,” he elaborated.

“Oh that! I was just looking for a specific book from this shelf but it wasn’t here. That’s when I saw you.” Jungmo nodded and Minhee turned around again after waving at him. His steps echoed in the quiet library and Jungmo looked back down at his work. 

“Wait a minute,” he whispered suddenly and looked at the spot where Minhee had been. The shelf hiding his nook was filled with Iranian love charms that were impossible to pronounce - a subject that was definitely not taught in Hogwarts. No one came here to look for a book. Only if they had a purpose, apart from unusable spells. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We hope you enjoyed this! 
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> Twitter: [@chaos_kisses](https://twitter.com/chaos_kisses?s=09)


	10. Halloween - Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Halloween brings about a change of perspective for our story. Let's look at everything through different eyes, and maybe we'll learn some new things...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Our Halloween Special is up! And only slightly late.... There's a part 2 coming up next week, too. The change of perspectives will only be temporary for the special, so don't worry, but we couldn't resist bringing these chapters into the story like this. We hope, you enjoy them! And if not, that's fine, too. Just wait for the next chapters then :)

“Alright, guys this was wonderful! Great work and I expect you to be just as good tomorrow evening. Have a short break and then we’ll go over everything from the beginning, okay?” Sejeong called through the large room. 

The students lined up before her started shuffling around and went to the long table on the side. Since Sejeong had tattled about practise to the house elfs, the sweet creatures had started preparing tea and biscuits in the practise hall for the choir. It hadn’t been Sejeong’s intention to get free food out of it but both her and the students had been happy. Nothing soothes a sore throat like a nice warm cup of tea. 

“Professor? Would you like a cup too?” a sweet voice asked next to Sejeong. She turned and looked at the girl holding out a cup to her. The house elfs really were amazing - they even sent her favourite china. Thin and light bone china, white, with just a tiny ring of flowers around the outer part of the saucer and the rim of the cup. Irises and lilies curling around each other and the fine china. Call her picky but she loved this particular design. 

“Thank you, Haeyoon. Your voice sounded great today, did you practise a lot?” Sejeong asked after accepting the cup from her 5th year and waving a hand. A second cup came flying for Haeyoon and the girl grabbed it from the air.

“I did, a bit at least. If I had the time to practise more, I would,” she said with a smile. Sejeong sighed inwardly and smiled back. The girl was extremely talented with a powerful and emotional voice, suited so well for ballads and soulfoul music and she loved singing. 

“Just don’t overdo it, okay?” she replied. “It’s getting cold and we all need to be mindful of our voices and our health. Don’t strain your voice too much and be sure to keep yourself warm and well-hydrated, everyone!”

She directed the second part at all her students with a raised voice and received a chorus of replies and acknowledgments to her words before she turned back to Haeyoon. The girl seemed a bit troubled and unsure about something as she bit her lip and her eyes flitted around the room. Sejeong decided to wait and let her build up the courage to say whatever she had that weighed her down. Eventually, Haeyoon took a sip of tea and a deep breath after before looking Sejeong in the eyes. 

“I also wanted to ask if you have decided who of the boys will sing the solo part yet. I have practised my part with both Yuvin and Sunhwan, and I get along with both of them on their own but together they are…” she trailed off, eyes averted again and raised her tea cup to her lips. A slightly suffering expression appeared on her face and Sejeong couldn’t help but chuckle. 

“I’m pretty sure I know what you mean,” she said and took another sip of tea. “I’ll talk to them and let them know soon, promise.” 

Haeyoon nodded with a thanks and returned to her friends, entering their chatter effortlessly. Sejeong let her eyes wander over her students until she looked to her right. On the previously empty table, she was leaned against, a cat sat. Beautiful with almost white fur and leopard-like markings in it, the animal exuded a grace and elegance no human could hope to achieve. She, too, was watching the students from dark grey eyes before she looked up at Sejeong. A tiny witch hat, perched on her head and covering one of her ears, hung precariously to the side before it righted itself. 

“So you kept it on, after all,” Sejeong said quietly and the cat met her gaze unblinkingly. The herbology professor could practically feel the raised eyebrow from the feline next to her and smiled cheekily in response. 

“It suits you.” The cats tail twitched from where it was neatly laid around her feet and it looked away at the students and then at the piano. Sejeong followed its gaze and remembered she still had a choir practise to finish. She drank the last of her tea and set the cup and saucer down next to the cat before calling for her students to get back to practise. 

A lot of shuffling followed before everyone was in position and a few greeted the cat on the table when they passed her. Eventually, Sejeong had her orderly lines before her and started practise again. They went through the songs they had practised for Halloween again before moving on to the first Christmas song of the year. A beautiful ballad Sejeong had not been able to resist after hearing it. It told the story of a person who found love and through it could leave their insecurities behind and start on a happier path. 

She had given a solo part in the last bit to Haeyoon, her sweet voice fitting it perfectly, followed by harmonies of a second person that was supposed to come in leading to a vocal climax, before the choir took over again. She had needed a powerful voice and decided on two boys for now that shared the needed abilities and vocal ranges as Haeyoon to support her. They were, however, extremely competitive with each other. It was almost impossible to have them sing the same song without them trying to outsing the other and drowning out everything else. It was extremely frustrating for Sejeong to look at as they were both very good - but they lacked the ability to work together. 

For today, she decided to only go over the chorus and the first verse again before she called an end to practise after 45 minutes. Two hours of practise were hard, even with a tea break, and her students deserved some more time to relax - especially on a friday afternoon. The students collected their bags and sheet music before they started trickling out of the room.

Sejeong had leaned against the table next to the cat again and nursed another cup of tea - it had luckily refilled when she picked it up. Now there was only waiting left until the students were gone and she could lock the door and go to her favourite place. The robes of the last student had vanished around the corner when small pale hands grabbed the cup from the saucer and brought it to the person’s lips. 

“You could have had your own, you know,” Sejeong directed at the woman next to her. Instead of the cat, a witch in long dark blue robes looked up at her. She was a few centimetres smaller than Sejeong, with large eyes, long blonde hair and beautiful features. A black witch hat was perched lopsided on her head, hair in a long ponytail down her back. 

“But I wanted yours,” she said and smiled smugly. Sejeong shook her head and waved her hand towards the room: the flames in the fireplace dimmed, the piano shut itself and the china the students had left vanished back to the kitchens, including the cup in the other woman’s hands.

“Practise went quite well, didn’t it?” she asked. The blonde witch nodded and folded her arms in front of her chest. 

“It did,” she agreed. “But they seemed a bit nervous to me, they kept glancing around.” 

Sejeong snorted. “Well, maybe because their Transfiguration teacher, the almighty Kim Chungha, was watching them in her most judging form.”

Chungha spluttered at that. “Don’t call me that!” she cried, waving her hands dramatically. “I am not judging as a cat!”

Sejeong raised an eyebrow at her. “Have you ever seen yourself?” She started walking towards the door with Chungha behind her. “You are somewhat intimidating. And of course they wouldn’t know you’re a softie and a sucker for neck scratchies, right?” 

The impish smile Sejeong threw at her with the words made Chungha blush in a light pink and she stayed silent until Sejeong had locked the door and turned to look at her - pouting.

“Don’t look at me like that, you know it’s true,” she said with a smile and waited for the other to follow her before she took off down the corridors. 

“Why were you at practise anyway?” she asked. “You usually never come.” 

Chungha caught up and walked next to the taller herbology teacher. 

“I finished grading earlier than I thought and wanted to pick you up,” she replied. “Some did really well but with some… I don’t know what is going on in the heads of some fifth years.” 

Sejeong nodded and hummed. “They’re not stupid,” Chungha continued, “but they obviously didn’t get what I was trying to teach them. I can’t be doing everything wrong when about 90% of the class is doing well to very good, but sometimes I feel like I failed as a teacher.”

She started walking closer to Sejeong, their shoulders bumping as they turned corners and descended the Grand Staircase.

“Maybe they could get tutoring from one of the sixth years?” Sejeong suggested. “They are a bit less busy than the 7th years and some might be willing to help.” 

Chungha hummed in acknowledgment. “I’ll think about it. The kid, I’m concerned about, is smart but thinks in curious ways. He actually studies a lot but it doesn't pay off most of the time. Plus, he appears to be quite headstrong. I don’t want him to feel like I’m undermining his efforts or something.”

Sejeong nodded and headed towards the main doors and onto the grounds. It was windy and the sun was moving in a downward ark towards the Forbidden Forest. She directed her steps towards the greenhouses as her mind whirled around. Chungha stayed next to her, worry practically oozing from her. When they arrived at the Greenhouse door, it hit Sejeong and she turned to Chungha. 

“Go for the guide approach,” she said excitedly. Chungha looked at her confusedly. 

“The what?” she said. Sejeong just grabbed her hand and started pulling her through the warmth of the greenhouse and past plants. Within steps they were surrounded by the humid air, ladden with earthy musk and a smell which could only be described as green. A slight hum could be heard from some plants and the occasional insect buzzing through. A cloud of blue butterflies flew up and swarmed around them as Sejeong pulled Chungha further into the depths of the seemingly never ending house until they reached a small wooden door. 

She pushed it open and entered their sanctuary. Instead of taking up one of the teacher quarters in the castle, she had decided on living here. As part fae, she needed the closeness to plants and living, breathing earth around her. Luckily the small room at the end of one of the houses could be charmed to become a whole flat, fitting two people.

Sejeong had been incredibly happy when Chungha and her had not just started at Hogwarts together, but Chungha also decided to forego the teacher quarters and live with Sejeong. Most of the time at least. She was Ravenclaw’s head of house after all, so she sometimes stayed in the castle if it got too late. But she always sent one of the blue butterflies to let Sejeong know.

For now, she just felt a lot of confusion in her when Sejeong practically skipped to the bookshelf, they had on one half of their living room, pulling out a small booklet before plopping down on the spacious sofa next to Chungha. 

“Here,” she said. “Read it later. For now I need….” She trailed off and looked around but smiled when she saw the approaching wine glasses. Chungha had already summoned them. 

“You read my thoughts, darling,” she said flirtily and grabbed the glasses, handing one to her girlfriend. Chungha took it and clinked their glasses against each other. 

“I think we both deserved it,” she said matter of factly. Sejeong nodded and took a sip before she leaned back and pulled her feet up on the sofa. She had discarded her shoes at the door and was now pulling a blanket over her socked feet, extending the other end to Chungha who took it. They sat facing each other, leaned against the back of the sofa with their wine in hands. 

“Tomorrow’s Halloween,” Sejeong said. “Remember what happened last year?” 

A smile kept on the animagus’ face. “I do. The great chaos of Jisung’s pumpkins breaking out into breakdance and spewing candle wax everywhere was marvellous.” 

Sejeong started laughing at the memory too. It had been a bit of a bother to clean everything up afterwards, but it had been a lot of fun. Especially when some students started dancing with the pumpkins and Daniel started a dance battle. Their poor headmaster had looked somewhere between worried and amused, shooting glances at nurse Kim Sun all the time. She, on the other hand, hadn’t even looked at him and laughed at the spectacle. 

“You know….” Chungha continued and Sejeong directed her attention back to the other woman. “Halloween time reminds me of love and confessions,” she said, snickering. 

Sejeong took a sip of her wine and raised an eyebrow. “Why so?” 

“I don’t think I have told you yet but I was part of one of your favourite students' confession.” 

Sejeong almost spat her wine back out. 

“You what?” she coughed, eyes wide and a comical expression of disbelief on her face. Chungha snickered. 

“I helped with the confession. They needed permission to be on one of the towers that night close to halloween and the planning for the whole thing involved a trip through basically the whole castle and part of the grounds. So I just agreed to help on the condition to be stationed outside. Yeah, and you know how that ended…” 

Sejeong nodded, interest shining in her eyes. Then she furrowed her brows. 

“Yeah I know. But,” she began, “isn’t it weird to have a teacher aid a confession?” Chungha chuckled and waved for the bottle to refill her glass.

“It would be,” she replied, “if the student in question hadn’t somehow failed to notice that I am an animagus since first year…”

Sejeong threw her head back and started laughing and Chungha joined her easily. They calmed down after a while before Sejeong looked a bit serious again.

“Speaking about unnoticed - how’s your pupil doing?” she asked. Chungha looked down at her lap and a fond smile grazed her features. 

“It’s… going surprisingly well. We’ve gone into acceptance and behaviourism a bit more and I think there’s been a lot of progress. And making friends with a slightly similar situation helped too, I think. So yeah… and still undiscovered.” 

Sejeong nodded and reached out to take Chungha’s hand. Her thumb rubbed softly over the other’s knuckles and she searched her gaze until she found it. The soft expression on her face was illuminated by the candle light around her. She looked almost ethereal in the light. 

“You’re doing amazing,” she said. “To be able to get someone there and have them make friends - open up about it. You are such an amazing witch and person. I can’t say that often enough.”

Chungha let go of her glass, which stayed afloat and Sejeong did the same when the smaller woman came closer and cuddled into her, face against the crook of her neck. Sejeong embraced her and buried her nose in Chungha’s hair, feeling the warmth she radiated and revelling in it.

“I really do love you,” Chungha mumbled against her skin and Sejeong chuckled, pressing a kiss against the other’s forehead. She felt lips morph into a smile against her neck and pressed another kiss on the crown of the animagus’ head. 

They stayed silent for a while and Chungha immersed herself in Sejeong’s scent; it reminded her of the day they had sat at a small stream in the woods in France, the weeping willow that spread its long branches over them dipping into the water. A field of flowers had surrounded them, their scent carried over the meadow and water by the gentle breeze blowing around them. A light petrichor had still been hanging in the air after the shower of the afternoon, the willow offering them a place to stay. All of this was captured in Sejeong’s odour which became Chungha’s favorite scent; it was her epitome of comfort, bliss and love. 

Suddenly she was reminded of something which made her lift her head from Sejeong’s shoulder to peer up to her.

“By the way, what was that smell permeating the air today?” she asked. A rather strange combination of odours had drifted around the castle today and Chungha’s sensitive cat nose had not been happy. Hence human form had been necessary for most of the day. 

“Some prank by the chaos duo,” Sejeong replied. “What do they call themselves again?”

“Hwang Yunseong and Keum Donghyun. HwangKeum - GoldenChemi I think,” Chungha said, some amused dread in her voice. “Dear god, what are they up to now?”

.oO°Oo.

Yoojung had been sitting at her desk peacefully, reading through a new study on Dementor repellent spells without the need of a patronus when the door opened behind her with a deafening screech. Steps approached her slowly and a tall figure slumped over her small form seated in the chair. A face buried itself in her neck and long black hair fell down her chest from the other person's head.

Yoojung reached over her papers and grabbed a piece of chocolate from where the opened bar was laying on top of a book about merfolk. The chocolate was her favourite, filled with a soft and creamy core of nougat. And she knew another person that was rather fond of the treat too.

"Here you go," she said and held the chocolate up to the figure which lifted its head and took the chocolate from her hands with its mouth before it resumed its previous position. 

"What's with you today?" Yoojung asked curiously and turned her head to get a look at her wife. Doyeon looked beat as if she had been running around and stressed out all day. Yoojung couldn't see much because of the position, but she felt how Doyeon's eyelashes fluttered against her neck when she opened her eyes and looked at her.

"I. Am. So. Done!" she whined with a childish tone and wrapped her arms around Yoojung, smothering her in an embrace. Doyeon had a tendency to be a bit dramatic (it was part of her Veela blood, but mainly her personality) but Yoojung was used to it. She chuckled and patted her still whining wife's arm. 

"Sofa?" she asked. Doyeon nodded and dragged Yoojung up from her chair before trudging to the sofa she had in the corner of her office. It was an old worn-down leather thing in a weird green colour (“Stylish!” Sejeong had called it. But that might only have been valid in the seventies). It was placed near the fireplace with a small table in front of it, carrying a stove, a steaming teapot and two cups. Yoojung had been prepared for Doyeon’s invasion if not for her mood. 

They both slumped on the sofa, Doyeon on top of a (only slightly) wheezing Yoojung, legs tangled and Doyeon’s head buried in Yoojung’s neck again. The smaller blew her bangs out of her face and started petting her wife’s hair. It was best to let Doyeon relax for a second before trying to make her talk - she’d blow up in an overload of emotional energy otherwise. It was an important detail Yoojung had noted down years ago when she learned how to deal with the Veela features of the beautiful woman in her arms.

Back during school times, Doyeon had been practically ruled by her emotions but through long training and careful cultivation of ‘emotional habits’ such as these the quarter Veela had been able to rule all her emotions into a healthy degree. She still needed her outlets but she had gotten more laid-back. And Yoojung had sworn to herself - back then - that she’d never leave her side and stand through everything with Doyeon. She had sworn the same again, a few years back, in front of an altar and in a different context. But she still carried the words with her, carved into the inside of the silver ring on her hand. 

A snort had her look down at her wife who started giggling in earnest now. 

“Your face is scrunched up in thought and you have a double chin in this position.” Doyeon gave her two cents on the situation. Yoojung whacked her lightly in the head and rolled her eyes.

“So what happened to have you in such a mood?” she asked, deeming it save now. Doyeon groaned and buried her face again before setting her chin on Yoojung’s clavicle. 

“I’ve been fixing smelly first years all day, my third years managed to produce exploding green goo, the fifth years learned to enchant a whole tea set to dance polka and the seventh years fell asleep on me.” Doyeon rattled off with a sigh. Yoojung winced at her recount.

Exploding green goo sounded like a mess to clean up and a real problem if you had some troublemakers in class who would produce it over and over again or start a goo fight. Dancing tea sets sounded fun but ended in shards and cuts way too often, especially, if the spell went wrong and the cups start vaulting instead of dancing. And the seventh years were practically always catching up on sleep, especially in revision lessons. Only the first part sounded strange. Yoojung zoned back in just to hear Doyeon still recount the tea sets.

“...and then the pot started beak fighting with another and the sugar cup egged them on. But the highlight was probably the twerking wine glass out of nowhere.” Yoojung snorted at the mental image. Chungha would probably have a stroke if her and Sejeong’s wine glasses started twerking. 

“That sounds wild,” she said and pressed a kiss to Doyeon’s nose who poked her chin in response. “But what about the smelly first years? Did they have something weird before?” she asked with a raised eyebrow. Doyeon looked at her with big eyes.

“Haven’t you noticed? Or heard the rumor?” she asked baffled. Yoojung shook her head and Doyeon sighed.

“There’s a rumor going around that there is a vampire in the north tower,” she explained. “Apparently he’s pale, tall, lanky with dark hair, large eyes and very quiet. Not seen often but you can find him there. Sound like anyone we know?” she ended in a sarcastic tone. 

Yoojung snickered - she knew exactly who was described. 

“What do they have against poor Jinyoung?” she asked incredulously. Bae Jinyoung was the school oracle. He worked with their teacher for divination, Lee Daehwi, but he was shy and not the most talkative person. He helped out in class but he rarely left the north tower where he and Daehwi had set up camp. He only came down for the bigger occasions and maybe the occasional dinner but it was rare. He wasn’t unfriendly - quite opposite actually - but he was introverted. 

“Nothing,” Doyeon continued. “But the first years don’t know him yet and someone is telling them that he is a vampire and will be down for Halloween. And that they need to wear a clove of garlic for protection. Whoever is spreading the rumor is even handing out garlic.” 

Yoojung couldn’t help but laugh. The image of a vampire was rather befitting but to trick unsuspecting first years into carrying garlic to fend him off with them made it even funnier. 

“So you had first years smelling of garlic all day?” she asked. Doyeon puffed out a breath and looked at her with an unimpressed expression.

“I wish,” she said in a deadpan tone, “but sadly no. The cloves are charmed.”

Yoojung felt a slight dread in her. 

“They are rigged and start leaking the most awful smells at some point. Everything from rotten eggs to old cabbage - it’s dreadful. And they leak colour so they end up with like hot pink spots on their robes and, of course, they come to their charms teacher to fix the mess.” Yoojung started laughing at the mixture of disgust and pain on Doyeon’s face who started hitting her shoulder instead.

“Stop laughing at my misery!” she wailed. “I have suffered!”

Her tone just fuelled Yoojung’s amusement and she pulled her disgruntled wife into a closer embrace when a knock at the door interrupted them. Doyeon sat up with a sigh, pushed a hand through her hair to right the strands and grabbed a cup from the table. Yoojung got up and went towards the door.

“Pour me one too, please,” she threw over her shoulder before she opened the door. A horrible smell of old fish hit her and she stared in shock at the tiny girl in front of her door. There was a bright purple speck of colour on the breast pocket of her robe and she was looking at her feet in a show of embarrassment. Yoojung steeled herself and put on a smile - this was one of her kids after all.

“How can I help you?” she asked kindly. The child wasn’t from her house and she was probably looking for her charms teacher. 

“I’m looking for Professor Kim Doyeon.” she whispered out. “Some older girls sent me here - they said she’d probably be here if she isn’t in her office.” 

Right. Doyeon was the charms Professor. And completely beat on her sofa. A quick look over her shoulder showed that Doyeon had fallen asleep with her head tipped back on the back of the sofa. Yoojung sighed inwardly and turned back to the girl with a kind expression.

“She’s occupied at the moment but I’m guessing this is about the garlic cloves?” she asked calmly. The girl flushed and nodded, positively flustered. Yoojung pulled out her wand and pointed it at the girl, mumbling a quick spell to extinguish the smell and erase the colour. 

“There, all done,” she said with a happy grin to cheer the girl up. “I can only tell you to not believe everything you hear in the future, okay?” 

The girl nodded with red cheeks but relieved. She thanked Yoojung and turned around to run back to her common room. Yoojung looked after her for a second before she closed the door and sat down on the sofa again. 

Doyeon was still knocked out when Yoojung approached her, but she shot up when the cushion’s moved underneath her and a snore got caught in her throat as she looked around drowsily. 

“I’m awake,” she said. Yoojung handed her the teacup and leaned back against the sofa. Doyeon looked to her and brushed a hand through the smaller woman’s hair before settling on her cheek. Yoojung leaned into her touch. Doyeon smiled and retreated her hand after a few heartbeats.

“By the way, how are the pumpkins doing?” she asked. Yoojung raised an eyebrow at her, amusement playing around her lips. 

“I knew you had a soft spot for the students, but pumpkins? Really?” she asked teasingly and Doyeon playfully swatted her hand at her. 

“No, you doofus!” she replied in a laugh. “Jisung’s pumpkins!”

.oO°Oo.

The pumpkins were doing well. So well that Jisung had tripped over an overly enthusiastic tendril that had wrapped around his foot when he left the woods. He pushed himself up from the mud and sighed. The little tendril uncurled from his ankle and retreated behind the large orange pumpkin it probably sprang from. Playful little things those were but he could never scold his beloved plants. They were too adorable and playful. 

He got to his knees and tried to stand up but his foot slid away in the gooey earth, the moment he tried to put his weight on it. The field was a slippery mess and he was right in the middle. He sighed again and looked around.

“Alright, come on. Help me up please!” he called. At first nothing seemed to happen but then it rustled in the leaves of the closest pumpkins. A tiny face appeared, dark, almost bark coloured skin and hair resembling long grass strands. The dark green strands floated behind the tiny humanoid creature as it climbed onto a large leaf. It’s body was covered in a dress-like gown made from leaves, carefully stitched together and enchanted to last longer. It’s tiny features showed mischievousness, amusement and intelligence, twinkling eyes in the colour of autumn leaves flitting over Jisung in the mud. A pointy nose and small mouth were crinkled as the creature sat on the pumpkin cross legged and looked about. 

“I know, I’m always a joy to look at but please?” Jisung implored. “It’s cold, wet, I’m almost late for tea and I just talked to fifteen of the bat colonies to join us for the Halloween dinner. I really want to get out of the cold and into the warmth.”

He hoped his pleading convinced the autumn pixie. They were amicable fellows and always came to live in his pumpkin field but they could be a bit teasing at times. Hopefully this was a good day and they’d help him up. He really didn’t want to crawl through the entire field - especially uphill.

The pixie looked at him with a lifted eyebrow and glanced to the school. Jisung was glad that she was so close, otherwise he’d have missed that. And he knew what she was asking.

”I guess Liatra didn’t tell everyone yet,” he said to the pixie. “I spoke to headmaster Dongwook and he would be happy to have you with us on Halloween again.” 

A happy smile spread across the face of the pixie and she seemed to glow a bit, standing up from where she had been seated. Translucent wings unfolded on her back, almost as big as her and resembling large libella wings, except for the longer jagged parts on the lower half of them. Tiny golden lines spread from where the wings were connected to the pixie’s body and spread out into a complex system of nervature through the wings.

She jumped up into the air and flapped her wings, other autumn pixies following from the plants all around Jisung. They started to swarm him before he felt tiny hands grab and lift him. They carried him towards the old ground keeper hut at the end of the field with only a hand’s width separating him from the floor and only once hitting his head against a larger stone. Once arrived, they gently lowered Jisung onto the ground where he sat up. 

“Thank you, my friends,” he said, his eyes crinkled into crescents and mud splattered all over him. “I look forward to seeing you all tomorrow evening. Now, if you’ll excuse me?” 

He got up and waved at the pixies, perched all over the pumpkins at the edge of the field. Some of them nodded at him as he turned around and started walking towards the hut a few metres away. His boots stuck to the rain-drenched earth and hindered his steps, but thankfully he arrived after a few more measures. Tugging off his boots, he looked back over his shoulder to where the pixies had been moments ago; the pumpkins were empty.

He opened the cabin door and trudged into the warm living space, heading straight to the tiny bathroom Nayoung had insisted on adding. Jisung was thankful for it by now and tugged off his muddy clothes to take a quick shower and rid himself of dirt and cold. The long time he spent running through the woods had left him thoroughly chilled. 

He had been looking for the bats that visited the castle on Halloween every year, asking if they were coming again and relaying the time of the feast to them. They had been scattered through the whole forest and he had been running back and forth, spooking a unicorn, chatting with the centaurs and stumbling into a nest of knarls that looked rather displeased at the wizard disturbing their supper.

And now he needed to get ready for his tea meeting. Wrapped in a towel, he left the bathroom and entered the living space again, heading towards the large wardrobe in the corner where they kept all their, special robes and gear, as well as some extra set of clothes. He pulled on a pair of comfortable jeans and a sweater before he discarded the towel in the laundry basket and set up the kettle to boil.

Preparing tea leaves in the pot and taking out mugs to place on the low coffee table underneath the window, he was ready with preparations when the kettle started whistling. He poured the water in the pot and set it on a small stove atop the table before he fell onto the sofa. 

When Hagrid, the original ground keeper of Hogwarts, had decided to end his service and move to Wales, Nayoung and Jisung had not just inherited the position of teachers for Care of Magical creatures, but also the cabin on the grounds. The subject had been turned into another tandem model, to ensure more safety for students and less stress in overlooking classes for the teachers, as well as splitting the duties of Hagrid between two people. 

Neither Jisung nor Nayoung had decided to live in the cabin, however, and so they had turned it into more of a working space and retreat. Classes still gathered here for class but the cabin only harbored the kitchen part and some old cabinets. The rest had been adapted to human size and Nayoung had brought a sofa and two armchairs to sit under the window.

A knock at the door had Jisung jump up and hurry towards the entrance. 

“Welcome, you two!” he called and waved the two boys waiting in front of the door inside. “Come on in, the weather is terrible and we can’t have either of you sick!” 

He closed the door after them and turned back towards his favourite armchair, sitting down and waiting for the boys to take off their drenched coats. Eventually they both joined him on the sofa. Byungchan and Dongpyo really were a strange pair. 

Apart from their almost comical height difference - Byungchan towered 20 cm over Dongpyo - they were both loud and chaotic Gryffindors, known for their dramatic but kind nature and prone to smaller pranks and a lot of sparkles. 

Jisung still remembers Valentine's day last year when Jaehwan had decided to serenade his husband Minhyun on the occasion. He picked the most romantic time and place: the Great Hall at breakfast. Standing on the teacher’s table with his guitar, his vocal prowess had been impressive. But in Jisung’s opinion, he had also looked quite dumb with Minhyun resembling a tomato and Byungchan in the background, spraying pink sparkles over the pair - for once teacher sanctioned. 

Jisung had found both of them amusing before when he had taught them in class - Care for Magical Creatures had become mandatory for third years to introduce them into the practise and subject a bit more - but they were even funnier outside of it. One afternoon in march last year, it had knocked on the cabin door and the two boys had been standing in front of Nayoung who had opened the door. Apparently Daniel had sent them to have a talk with Jisung. 

They had confessed that they both thought about dropping Care of magical Creatures but enjoyed the class in itself. It took a lot of coaxing, waiting and tea to get them talking eventually. In Dongpyo’s case his motivation was clear: he was easily frightened and almost all animals apart from cats and owls scared him. He didn’t think he would be able to take the class but he enjoyed Jisung’s teaching. For Byungchan it was a bit different: he was choosing his N.E.W.T. subjects and even though he like ComC, he had another class he was better at. Both of them had sought out their head of house, Kang Daniel, first who had sent them to Jisung.

They had spent the afternoon talking, discussing pro and contra - more about Byungchan’s case - and eventually came to a decision. Jisung had recommended Dongpyo to drop the class if he was scared as he’d have to deal with it for two more years at least. For Byungchan, they had taken longer to decide: he enjoyed working with animals but he also wanted to achieve good grades for his N.E.W.T.s. They had reached the conclusion that Byungchan should focus on his studies and maybe help out in classes instead to still work with magical creatures.

After reaching satisfying solutions, they had leaned back and Jisung had asked for some gossip from the Gryffindor tower which they had gladly relayed to him. Only when it had been nearing dinner time, he had sent them off. A few months later, when it had been nearing the end of the school year and examinations had been finished, the two had shown up again, this time with biscuits and more gossip. Over the last few school weeks they had developed a tea habit in the afternoon which had carried into the new year. Without being their teacher, Jisung had started to tell some stories from his classes.

This time, he already had a question on his lips when the two boys had settled down with their tea. 

“Soo,” he began. “What’s up with that smell…” 

His words were interrupted by the door opening and Nayoung entering the cabin, looking surprisingly dry. She had a way with utility spells that Jisung envied. She looked around, raised an eyebrow at the tea on the table and looked at Jisung. Her gaze was piercing and troubling. What had he done this time?

“Professor Yoon,” she said quietly, but immediate death seemed to swing in her words. Jisung gulped.

“Ye-yes ma’am?” he asked. Nayoung slowly narrowed her eyes at him.

“Why didn’t you take out the biscuits I made for tea?” she asked threateningly. Jisung gaped. Byungchan and Dongpyo snickered into their cups. So this was it. 

Nayoung went to the kitchenette and took a large box from the cupboard that she placed on the table. Shortbread filled it to the brim and Jisung could practically hear the boys drool. Nayoung was a great cook and baker. He knew. 

“Have a nice afternoon,” she said before she turned around. “I’m heading to the castle.” 

With these words she left the cabin as quick as she had come, leaving Jisung still slightly frightened and the boys grabbing the biscuits. He sighed and turned back. 

“Soo, about my question,” he started again. “What was up with that smell thing today?”

Dongpyo giggled cutely whereas Byungchan looked more like a dimpled imp. If they were both like this it must be good. Jisung leaned forward and grabbed a biscuit when the boys started recounting the prank GoldenChemi had been pulling on the first years. It really was elaborate and also quite clever. Only the first years would fall for the ruse. 

“So every first year was already somewhat scared but then Professor Bae decided to come to lunch today. Half of the kids just froze when he entered the Great Hall. And if you’ve been in his class already, you’d recognize him but they didn’t and he looked absolutely disgusted by the smell, covered his nose and ran out again!” Dongpyo rambled off excitedly. 

“He fuelled the rumor with that!” Byungchan added. “All the kids are now convinced that they need to be safe and started getting more garlic cloves. Even the ones who went to teachers to fix the smell and stains before!”

Jisung chortled at the image of Jinyoung running from the hall. The poor lad wasn’t only perfectly fit for the vampire rumours through his looks. He was also very scent sensitive and avoided classes Daehwi would have to use incense or similar herbs and spices in. The latter preferred a clean and clear environment anyway which resulted in a happy Jinyoung and a lot less dazed classes. The shock from entering the smell disaster of today, however, must have been like a attack on poor Jinyoung’s nostrils. 

“One thing I was wondering though,” Jisung said thoughtfully. “How did they manage that spell?”

A combined spell of long lasting smell and colour, both different on each clove, was an impressive feat. 

“If I remember correctly, they are both clever but not especially talented when it comes to charms and hexes, right?” he asked. Dongpyo grinned at his words.

“They actually figured out the spell by themselves,” he said. Jisung raised his eyebrows in surprise, lips forming an 'o'. Impressive indeed.

“They just had trouble actually working it, so they got some help,” Byungchan elaborated. Jisung nodded and sipped his tea.

“And I’m guessing the help came in the form of a certain Lee Jinhyuk?” he asked with a grin. The two boys looked at each other before nodding with matching expressions. 

“Oh, that boy has a talent for spells, really,” Jisung said wistfully. 

“If only he’d use that talent for less pranks, a certain prefect would be less bothered,” Byungchan added cheekily. Jisung tilted his head in interest and leaned forward.

“Tell me more.”

“Only if we can ask a question first.” Byungchan replied and leaned forward too. Dongpyo nodded in support of his friend and Jisung could already tell that he wouldn’t get anywhere without a story from his side first. 

“Alright,” he relented with a hand raised in defeat and leaned back. “But I reserve…”

“Reserve for myself the right to not be obligated to answer.” the two boys droned over him and Jisung put on a miffed expression before his chuckle broke through. 

“You know me well,” he commented. “Ask away then.” 

A short scuffle ensued on the sofa as the boys looked at each other for a moment and a flurry of eyebrow movements followed. Jisung watched their conversation with interest. Apparently they weren’t sure this time how to ask without coming of as intruding or the question really bothered them. Eventually they seemed to have found a solution. 

“So…” Dongpyo started slowly, sporting a cute expression. His doe eyes were wide and his lips in a pout. Quite an adorable sight and convincing for most, but Jisung was used to dealing with people and their various tricks. And he was used to these two. 

“Yes?” he inquired amusedly and hid his grin behind his teacup as he saw Byungchan gulp. 

“Is it true that Professor Sejeong and Professor Kim might get engaged?” Dongpyo slowly brought out. 

“Or that they already are?” Byungchan added. “Apparently, Professor Kim has been wearing a ring pretty often and Professor Sejeong seemed even more enthusiastic.” 

Jisung considered their question. While it was true that news travelled fast in Hogwarts and students almost immediately heard about rumors involving teachers, he was not surprised that they asked. Chungha and Sejeong were a well known couple among both faculty and student body, even though they kept it professional during school. 

And true as any rumor may be, and well-meaning the boys were, he couldn’t just spill everything to them. It wasn’t his place. But a small piece of information would be fine and satisfy their curiosity. He grinned impishly. 

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” he asked and the two boys perked up. “On what hand was Chung- Professor Kim wearing the ring then?”

Dongpyo’s face went blank while Byungchan seemed to try and recall the information. 

“Right,” he eventually answered. “Yeah, I think it was her right hand.” 

Jisung nodded. “You do know that engagement rings are primarily worn on the left hand, don’t you?” 

The disappointment was almost palpable when both boys realised what he meant. Jisung wasn’t done yet, though. 

“And why did Professor Sejeong seem more enthusiastic?” he asked. Dongpyo perked up. 

“She was singing a lot in class, humming all the time! And the blue butterflies were fluttering around her like a halo!” he recounted. His eyes twinkled at the memory and Jisung could understand him well. It was truly - in lack of a better word - magical to see Sejeong surrounded by plants that thrived before one’s eyes with her butterflies surrounding her. 

“Remember what month it is?” he asked again. “And what season?” 

“Autumn,” Dongpyo answered immediately. “It’s getting cold, dark, less sunlight, and plants grow less…” 

He trailed off as realisation seemed to strike him. Byungchan groaned and flopped back into the sofa, almost spilling his tea. 

“Her singing makes the plants grow and keeps them thriving,” he lamented. To Byungchan’s visible disappointment, Jisung had obliterated both their evidence of any apparent engagement. Jisung decided to throw them a crumb. 

“However,” he said mysteriously, “I wouldn’t be too surprised if anything is in planning.”

He leaned back into his chair comfortably after snagging another biscuit. A fond smile played on his lips and his eyes were looking at a point outside the window. 

“I went to school with them, and they were absolutely inseparable back then already. Even before they became anything more. And they have lasted for so many years.”

His eyes focused on the two boys on the sofa, enraptured in his words. 

“What I’m saying is that I don’t know if they even need any ‘verification’ of their bond apart from what they already shared, but that I wouldn’t be surprised either if they might be considering it.”

He dutifully left out the part of a terribly nervous Chungha sitting on the same sofa they sat on now, relaying to Nayoung and Jisung her plans of proposing to Sejeong. Jisung had almost cried in happiness and the prospect of a wedding in the future, while Nayoung tried to calm Chungha a bit and sent a glare towards a dazed Jisung, telling him to pull himself together. 

Apparently, his words had been enough for the two boys. Dongpyo looked excited, Byungchan almost complacent. 

“So,” Jisung started up again. “You wanted to tell me something about Jinhyuk worrying a certain Ravenclaw?” 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

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	11. Halloween special - Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An even longer Chapter as part 2 of our Halloween special! And almost punctual!

Nayoung softly shook her head when she stepped out into the downpour that had started a few minutes ago. She carefully pulled the heavy wooden door of the cabin shut behind her and stepped out into the rain. Large raindrops were splattering all around her, the torrent seemingly like a curtain that drenched anything stepping under it within seconds. 

It didn’t hit Nayoung, however. The drops missed her altogether, hitting an invisible shield all over her body, creating a small area around her that was entirely unaffected by the storm. Only the cold and damp air still surrounded her but at least she stayed dry. 

Sighing, Nayoung started heading towards the castle. The way down to the cabin was steep at parts, but luckily there were some steps hewn into the earth, secured through beams and stones. It still was a slippery ascent and took her longer than usual. Eventually, the castle gates towered over her and she stepped into the warmth of the entrance hall. 

The large stone hall was almost empty, safe for some students entering the Great Hall early. It was still two hours to dinner, but some met earlier for a cup of tea or to just chat with friends from other houses. Nayoung looked after the gaggle of Hufflepuff girls that left the corridor leading to their common room to enter the hall. Some noticed and greeted her before they vanished into the hall. 

Nayoung nodded at them with a small smile before she took her wand from her sleeve pocket and waved it over her, releasing the spell. Some remaining drops from the shield fell onto her shoulders and head but she ignored it and walked towards the Grand Staircase, climbing up the steps and starting towards the stairs leading to the upper floors. The castle seemed almost deserted, no students roaming around and only torches and paintings keeping her company. 

It was no surprise. The weather was grey and dreary with cold winds whipping around the castle. The downpour of today was just the latest of the last days. If it continued like this, they would have to cut Quidditch practises short as to not endanger the students. They always came back looking like mud monsters: drenched, dirty and frozen to their bones. 

The rest of the student body spent afternoons like this near fireplaces and huddled under warm blankets. The common rooms and library were probably packed with students. It really was time that they opened some more of the empty rooms again. 

A while back the faculty had decided to remodel some of the unused rooms on the upper floors into sitting rooms with no specific house assignment to have more space for the students to stay at, especially during the colder months. It had become easier for people of different houses to meet up without having to search for common rooms all the time and students could disperse a bit more instead of being packed into the same room all day. They closed some during the warmer months to get the students outside more but usually opened them with the start of the autumn storms. 

A muffled crash had Nayoung stop in her tracks and look around here. She had been so deep in her thoughts that her feet had carried her all the way to the seventh floor to a door she was very familiar with. The crash had come from within and she could hear hurried footsteps and voices before they quieted down again. 

Nayoung stepped forward and grabbed the door handle to push open the heavy oak door. The view she found was quite astounding: The large room was filled with fluttering papers, swarming all through it and two people running around trying to snatch them. The room itself was lit by a large chandelier with magical fire (it wouldn’t burn anything that touched it) and contained desks for a class in the front sections. Behind the teacher’s table, however, large shelves towered and stretched back into the room. They were filled with books, tomes, scrolls and loose papers, all meticulously labeled and sorted through. 

“Close the door, quickly!” a female voice called anxiously and Nayoung followed the order, slamming the door shut just when a sheet tried to escape though it. She grabbed it from where it had been trapped between frame and door and pulled it out to have a look at it. Strange hieroglyphs filled the old worn down parchment, all circled around a picture of flying birds. They appeared to have been coloured at some point, but the ink had long faded to a dull shade, only the black of the writings remaining. 

Someone stepped beside her and Nayoung looked up at the person. A woman with long black hair and fairy-like features was standing at her side. Her eyes twinkled with joy and a smile played around the lips underneath the small pointy nose. She was a bit smaller than Nayoung, nose reaching her chin height. The woman stretched out a hand towards the parchment to look at it. 

“Oh great, you got the title page, Nayoungie! Keep it and we need to get the final page, there should be birds sitting on a field or something in the same design on it!” she called and ran off again, chasing for the described book page. The second person in the room, a tall and lanky male with gangly limbs, was apparently also searching for it and had begun jumping from desk to desk in an attempt to see the other pages. He teetered on the edge of one precariously before he caught himself and continued jumping. 

“Lin-Lin, we need the final page! Nayoungie has the flying page!” the other woman called to him. Nayoung looked back at the page in her hands again, studying it carefully. The birds had been blue before, but some of them seemed to have had grey colouring with only blue accents in their feathers. Nayoung narrowed her eyes and held the parchment closer to her face. If she went by the shape, the beak and colouring….

“Jieqiong, is this text about flying itself or flight behaviour?” she called into the room. The other woman, Jieqiong, stopped jumping and looked at her with a surprised expression. 

“Flight behaviour, I think, but we couldn’t really make out much before the book itself took flight. But apparently it was a behaviour study of a North American tribe on flight and spirit travel rituals, following some kind of example,” she explained, stepping closer and throwing her hair out of her face. “Why do you ask?” 

Nayoung looked up at her with an almost invisible smirk playing around her lips. Jieqiong screamed and clapped her hands excitedly, shocking the still jumping male to have him crash off the nearest desk. Both women winced and looked in his direction when his hand shot out from behind the desk, signaling he was okay. 

Nayoung caught Jieqiong’s eyes and nodded. “Let’s save your poor assistant and then I’ll explain. It will be easier if the book calms down a bit,” she said and received a nod from the other woman. 

They both went towards the desk ‘Lin-lin’ had fallen off from and circled around it. The lanky young man was still behind it in a tangle of his own limbs, looking somewhat dazed. Jieqiong kneeled down quickly and pulled a large tome from where it was digging into his back before checking his head. 

“Are you okay, Guanlin?” Nayoung asked with a worried tone and crouched down next to the young man too. He smiled and nodded with Jieqiong still patting his head and looking for injuries.

“Just a little fall,” he rasped out and sat up carefully. Nayoung held out a hand to steady him if he should fall again but he stayed upright. Nayoung swept her eyes over him once again but couldn’t see any blood or obvious bruises on his bare arms or clothes. 

“We need to look in quiet corners I think.” she said, waving the page slightly. Guanlin and Jieqiong looked at her with obvious puzzlement in their eyes. Nayoung sighed and explained.

“You said, this is about flight behaviour and from a North American tribe? And spirit travel?” she asked, receiving a nod from both scholars opposite of her. 

“Well, if I remember correctly, they usually took an animal to protect the spirit when travelling, didn’t they? Like a totem?” Nayoung continued and received an even more enthusiastic nod from the other two. They were both experts on ancient scrolls and runes, with Jieqiong being Hogwarts’ teacher on the subject and Guanlin being her assistant and teacher in training. Nayoung had heard both of them ramble about the most ancient of prophecies, methods and transcriptions and sometimes remembered interesting details. 

“I think the totem animal in this case,” she continued, “might have been the mountain bluebird.” Jieqiong’s eyes widened and Guanlins mouth dropped open. 

“Did you break the code?” the young man asked excitedly. “Because we couldn’t figure out the runes on the first page yet and….” Jieqiong leaned over him to inspect the page again and cut him off with the smile audible in her voice.

“You recognised the bird in the drawing didn’t you?” she said. “There are some colours left on the paper. And knowing you…” she looked up at Nayoung with a bright smile who blushed slightly and nodded. 

“It fit in several categories, starting from body shape and colouring to the range they nest in. They would use spirit travel to explore wide ranges, so migrating birds would be useful. And the Mountain Bluebird ranges from northern Alaska in summer to north Mexico in winter and is mainly on the west coast, all over the mountain ranges.” 

Nayoung rambled off, her voice gaining excitement with every sentence. Jieqiong and Guanlin nodded appreciatively, Guanlin still with his mouth open. Nayoung stretched out a hand pushed his chin up gently, effectively closing his jaws. Jieqiong chuckled and turned back at the other teacher. 

“So why quiet corners?” she asked. Nayoung locked eyes with her.

“They are fond of nesting boxes and confined spaces. I’m guessing this book represents a whole swarm in flight, with this,” she held up the front page, “representing the take off and the final page their resting place.” Guanlin hummed and looked around for a moment before he snapped his fingers.

“We have a few empty shelves with some boxes in front of them at the back. Would this count as confined?” he suggested and Nayoung nodded. Jieqiong jumped up and pumped her fist into the air.

“Alright then, here we go!” she called but Nayoung jumped up too and covered her mouth with her own hand. 

“Shhh, we need to be quiet,” she reminded the other. Large eyes looked up at her and she could feel the pout against her hand without seeing it. Nayoung released Jieqiong and started towards the shelves. Guanlin took the lead and went down a particularly dark corridor towards a ceiling-height shelf with boxes and cartons in front of it. 

Nayoung put a hand on his shoulder to stop him in his tracks and slowly went past him, crouching down when she had almost rounded the corners. There, on the lowest shelf and hidden from prying eyes, the final page laid. Nayoung tried to move as quietly as possible and slowly stretched out her hand towards it. The parchment twitched but remained on the shelf as Nayoung inched closer. 

She took a deep breath and lunged forward pressing her palm against the shelf through the parchment to pin it down. It fluttered under her grip but remained caught. She carefully grabbed it with her second hand and crawled out from behind the boxes to hand it to a waiting Guanlin. 

Jieqiong came running with the binding of a book missing its pages. She opened it and stretched it towards Guanlin on one hand, the other gripping her wand. Guanlin carefully lowered the page towards the empty binding, still holding it, and Nayoung moved her wand over the inner part of the page to seal it to the binding. It stuck and Guanlin moved his hand away. 

Nayoung stepped closer to see the starting page Jieqiong had pulled out of her grip earlier already on the front binding. Loud fluttering above her had her lift her head. All the pages of the book were flying over the shelves towards them, fluttering and flapping, as a big yellowish clouds and descending towards them. 

Jieqiong lifted the open and empty book above her with both hands, a delighted smile on her face. The pages dropped down and steered towards the book, attaching themselves to it, page by page. The cloud of parchment grew smaller and smaller as the book returned to its original state and closed after the last page had returned. Jieqiong lowered the now calm book and softly stroked her hand over the front binding before handing it to Guanlin. 

“We need a copy. Could you ready the copy quill and ink so we can get started as soon as possible?” she asked and Guanlin nodded and strode towards the open part of the room with the book clutched to his chest. Nayoung looked at his vanishing form and felt arms sneak around her waist with a smaller body pressing into hers. 

She returned the hug and laced her hands behind Jieiong’s back to pull her closer. The smaller woman leaned her head against Nayoung’s shoulder and sighed. Nayoung rested her chin on her head.

“Thank you,” she murmured. Nayoung hummed in acknowledgment and buried her nose in Jieqiong’s hair. The sound of a door closing was faintly audible in the background. 

“We had only read a few pages when the whole book just flew apart and scattered all over the room,” Jieqiong explained. “We had been hunting for almost half an hour already when you came in.” 

Nayoung looked down at her with a surprised expression. 

“But I heard a crash?” she asked and Jieqiong chuckled.

“That was Guanlin tripping over a chair,” she explained. Nayoung breathed in deeply, pity mirrored on her features. 

“Your poor assistant, he must be covered in bruises by now,” she said pityingly. The woman in her arms nodded before she untangled herself from the hug to pull Nayoung back to the front of the room. She went towards the corner behind the first bookshelf. A small alcove was hidden here, occupied by a table with long legs, laden with too many books, and two large armchairs plus a footstool. Teacups and a teapot were waiting on the window sill. 

Jieqiong dropped into one of the chairs and pulled Nayoung beside her; it was a tad crowded but manageable. The tea cups hovered next to them from where they had flown over from the window sill. 

“Where’s Linlin?” she asked, looking around. Nayoung turned to her with a small pout. 

“I’m here,” she said. Jieqiong giggled and poked a finger against her cheek.

“I know, but... “

“No but,” Nayoung interrupted and snuggled even closer. The other woman sighed with a chuckle and wrapped her arms around her. 

“Alright,” she relented. “So tell me about your day. Did you meet the new unicorn?” 

.oO°Oo.

Guanlin closed the door to the ancient runes room behind him as quietly as possible. He didn’t want to disturb the two women inside and he also wanted to give them some time to themselves. If that meant he had free time after preparing the quill for copying, then so be it. He had left the book at it’s designated place for Professor Zhou to check on before she started the spell. 

He started walking into a direction aimlessly, descending towards one of the lower floors when he almost ran into Professor Hwang. The tall and handsome man was carrying a bowl of popcorn in one and two blankets in his other hand. 

“Guanlin!” he called joyfully. Guanlin smiled, though a bit hesitant - Professor Hwang was nice but a bit strange and over enthusiastic at times. He approached Guanlin with long strides and stopped shortly before him. 

“Nice to meet you here!” he continued. Guanlin nodded in reply.

“You too, Professor,” he answered. Professor Hwang tsked and shook his head at Guanlin. 

“I told you, drop the Professor. You’re a teacher now and if anything I’d be your hyung, okay?” he said kindly and Guanlin nodded abashedly. He hadn’t quite gotten used to that, even though he hadn’t had most of the teachers now during his school days. 

“Anyways, what are you doing here, wandering the corridors?” he continued asking.

“Nothing, really,” Guanlin admitted. “I just left the study and now I don’t know what to do with myself.”

Professor Hwang’s - Minhyun-hyung Guanlin reminded himself - face lit up and he grinned.

“Then I know just the thing,” he claimed. “Are you up for a horror movie?” 

Guanlin looked at him surprised. He was half-half himself, so he was familiar with horror movies but he wouldn’t have thought that the teachers here watched them. But Minhyun was muggle-born after all and his husband, Kim Jaehwan, was up for practically anything. So it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise.

Minhyun apparently took his silence as affirmation and shoved the blankets into Guanlin’s arms before he started pulling him along towards the Muggle studies room. Guanlin felt a slight dread creep up his back - recently there had been rumours that this part of the castle harboured a new ghost. A lot of screaming had been heard and students had started to avoid the corridor outside of class. 

They encountered no ghost on their way, nor students or fellow teachers. Minhyun energetically threw the door to the Muggle studies room open and pulled Guanlin in behind him, the door slamming shut.

"Look at who I found, Jaenie!" he called. Guanlin was surprised at the sight he was met with in the room.

The usually neat rows of tables were pushed towards the walls, computers still lined up on them, but all remaining cables connected in an orderly fashion and rolled up on the table. The now empty centre of the room was basically a blanket fort by now, pillows and a few bean bags strewn around and tea cups and snacks littering the ground surrounding them.

In the centre of this mess, Kim Jaehwan was seated with an equally excited looking Professor Ha Sungwoon. The small man greeted them enthusiastically, practically vibrating with energy. 

"Minhyunnie, I found one too!" Jaehwan called in reply, pointing at Sungwoon. Minhyun smiled widely and went to join them, still pulling Guanlin along.

"The more the merrier!" he announced before dropping onto a bean bag and handing the popcorn to Jaehwan. Guanlin kept standing next to them awkwardly before Sungwoon grabbed his hand and pulled him down on a bean bag too. 

"We've been watching horror movies on the main screen in the weeks leading up to halloween to get into the right mood, so here we are again!" 

"Come on, don't be shy now!" he said with a more soothing tone. "We don't bite and movies are fun after all!" 

Guanlin nodded and glanced around. Jaehwan and Minhyun seemed to be bickering over which movie to choose and were throwing DVDs and suggestions around. Guanlin recognised the cover of one and picked it up.

"I know this one!" he announced. "It's scary but really well made!" 

This apparently was the deciding factor for the movie choice and Minhyun grabbed the DVD from Guanlin's hands to put it in the player. 

Not even ten minutes into the movie and Guanlin became painfully aware why the ghost rumours had started. All three - Minhyun, Jaehwan and Sungwoon - screamed extremely loudly. They sounded as if their lives were threatened. 

Admittedly, it was a rather scary movie and Guanlin knew it already; but he was sure that even if that hadn't been the case, he would have been more scared of their screams than the movie.

Minhyun just sounded extremely panicked with high, almost dolphin-like screeches. He clung to Jaehwan next to him and hid his face a lot - but only after releasing an ear-piercing scream. 

Jaehwan and Sungwoon sounded positively insane. They both had impressive lung power and easily drowned out the sound of the movie . But whilst Sungwoon was only screaming loudly like a possessed person, Jaehwan started laughing maniacally into his screaming fits. 

It was like being thrown into an old cliché mental health clinic and Guanlin just hoped his ears would survive as he spent his time munching on snacks.

Surprisingly they did survive. Blessed silence fell over the room after the ending credits rolled through and Guanlin threw the last bit of popcorn into his mouth when Jaehwan flopped off his bean bag.

"That was terrifying!" he whined. Minhyun patted his back soothingly and Sungwoon nodded in sympathy. Guanlin couldn't help the smirk appearing on his face.

"It wasn't that bad," he said nonchalantly. They others looked at him as if he'd grown a second head.

"Are you serious?" Minhyun asked, slightly exasperated. "This didn't scare you?"

Guanlin shook his head and put the empty popcorn bowl on the floor.

"But at least now I know why the rumors of ghosts in this corridor started," he said. "Have you screamed your heads off in here every evening?"

Seeing his seniors scream in terror because of a movie had definitely lowered his level of reservation when talking to them. Jaehwan and Minhyun exchanged a look and then turned back to him; both nodded. Guanlin snorted, joined by a giggling Sungwoon.

"Impressive," he continued on. "And you're both still that scared?" 

They nodded again. 

"Except Wednesdays and Sunday evening," Minhyun added. Guanlin looked at him, perplexed.

"Eunsang always comes to this room on Sunday evenings and Wednesday nights if he can sneak out," Minhyun explained. Guanlin was only getting more confused.

"Who's Eunsang?" he asked. The name rang a bell but he wasn't too sure.

"A Ravenclaw, fifth year. Reddish hair?" Sungwoon threw in as an explanation and it clicked. He knew the boy but he wasn't taking ancient runes. He had seen him when he had come in as a replacement teacher for a day. 

"But why is he sneaking out? And if you know, why do you let him?" he asked on. Minhyun and Jaehwan exchanged another look, this time filled with affection. 

"Well, as long as he's sneaky about it, I don't see any point in stopping him," Jaehwan said eventually. "After all, it's not like he's doing anything bad in here."

Guanlin's eyes flitted from one man in the room to the next, still not comprehending what was going on. Sungwoon chuckled and Minhyun smiled gently.

"He had some phone calls to make," he said.

.oO°Oo.

“Okay, and after I’ve scared them for a while…”

“I know, I come into the plan and stop you and the student body starts laughing too and everyone is happy,” Daniel continued Seongwu’s sentence. “We’ve been doing this for several years after all.” 

Seongwu sighed and grinned. The light of the morning sun was falling through the windows and created some kind of halo around his head when he stopped to look at Daniel for a moment from where he was standing. 

“I know,” he relented. “But after that fuck up five years ago I just want to make sure everything is going as planned.” 

Daniel pushed himself up from the sofa, he had been sitting on, and crossed the room to where Seongwu had been pacing since they started their annual Halloween scare planning. He stretched out a hand towards the other man to stop him from wearing the floorboards thin with his nervous up and down and placed it softly on his shoulder just as Seongwu passed him. The other stopped, one foot already in the air, only to set it back down and take a deep breath. 

Daniel carefully pulled on his arm to turn him around and face him. Seongwu’s eyes met his almost immediately, searching for reassurance. Daniel let him take his time - there was no use in rushing him if he was insecure after all. Eventually, the other let out a breath he seemed to have been holding and nodded.

Daniel smiled at him, happily and with bunny teeth, skin almost glowing from the rays of the sun. The room that had seemed a bit stuffy due to nervous tension just moments before had suddenly cleared up. There was only the fresh morning air, the bright light the sun only had after it had rained and the sky was finally clearing up and them in their quarters. 

He couldn’t help but feel relieved. Seongwu had been more nervous this year for some reason. Maybe it was the weather - the heavy rainfalls of the last weeks had made them all dreary and somewhat on edge. Confined to the walls of the castle because of the weather, the rooms had started to feel smaller, the air heavier, the atmosphere darker. They had all lacked some sunlight. 

It always affected Seongwu more than others. He tried not to show it and keep up his happy-go-lucky facade but it got harder with an atmosphere like this. Family heritage was not always easy to handle and Daniel had grown worried when his boyfriend had returned from classes only to fall into bed or cuddle into him without making another sound for the next few hours. 

They could both enjoy silence but they usually talked about their day or things they had heard about. Seongwu regularly updated him on new discoveries in the astronomy department, whereas Daniel told him about the Quidditch progress of the house teams and official leagues. But recently Seongwu had mainly listened and hummed as a sign he was awake. A few times he seemed to space out and Daniel was sure he saw flashes of red in his vision on these occasions. 

But it was better with the sun back and the dreariness gone. The storm of the last week had hung heavy on them all. Jisung had worried about his pumpkins, Sejeong had needed help in repairing several leaks in the greenhouses, Daniel had flown with the teams during every practise session of the house teams for safety, Jieqiong had almost gone nuts waiting for a delivery of ancient texts from Paraguay, and Seongwu had cancelled several Astronomy night classes, as there was no way for the students to see anything in this weather.

Instead he had to relocate them to the star room during the day but it just wasn't the same. The ceiling of the star room was enchanted like the one of the Great Hall, instead showing the night sky. But with Ong Seongwu’s love for stars only the real deal worked - for both him and the classes. 

Daniel had once snuck up to one of his lessons at midnight with the first years, sitting in the doorway to the open platform of the Astronomy tower, door opened only a tiny bit. It was enough to see Seongwu leaned against the railing of the tower, students on pillows and low tables around them, their telescopes and their maps in front of them. The Slytherin had been talking about the zodiac signs and the origin of their celestial representation, launching into stories about every single one of them whilst illuminating them with his wand. The students had been mesmerized and so had Daniel.

For all of his chaotic and over-the-top nature, Seongwu was able to enchant people with his passion and have them hang off his lips. He didn’t even have to try - it was just second nature to him. He was passionate but also mischievous, compassionate and honest, realist and a romantic at heart. His nature seemed to switch between all of these features, humorous one moment and serious the next, only to break out laughing again seconds later. 

Daniel had easily fallen for this whirlwind of a person when he got to know him during his studies to become a teacher. It was a shame they never met at school with Daniel attending Ilvermorny and Seongwu going to Hogwarts. But they had clicked during their teacher training and had been happy that they both did the program for Hogwarts. Ending up here, together, as teachers and a couple, was ideal and more than Daniel had expected to have at his age. But he wouldn’t complain. 

Snapping back from his memories, Daniel's eyes once again flitted over the face of the beautiful man in front of him. Seongwu’s hair was a bit messed up from all the times his hands went through it in his nervousness. Daniel lifted his hand to trace the three moles on Seongwu’s cheek, his little personal constellation, before lifting his other hand from where it had been resting on his shoulder. He cupped the slightly smaller man's face and took a small step towards him.

There was almost no space left between them but Daniel felt the need to be even closer. He was mesmerised, enchanted, as he was on the first day. And he couldn’t keep his eyes off Seongwu. Those tiny speckles he saw in his eyes, like shards of light shining through his iris from the inside. The way his lips curved, the dip of his cupid’s bow, the slant of his eyes and the way his lashes cast shadows onto his cheeks when he was looking down. The way his face lit up when he laughed, the lilt of his voice, the way his arms felt around Daniel. The way his heart sped up everytime their eyes met.

It was pounding now, just as it had when they had first met, when they had first stood close like this, when they had first kissed, when they had first stepped foot into Hogwarts as teachers, when they had first shared their experiences. So many firsts, all with that one person. And Daniel didn’t regret a single one and would never regret any. Not the good nor the bad, because they too were memories made together and made to understand each other better. Their first argument, the first time they saw each other cry, the first time Seongwu lost control over his powers. So many memories. 

Daniel didn’t know who leaned in first, maybe it was both of them, but their lips touched in a gentle kiss and it felt like….home. He couldn’t describe it any other way. The way their lips slid against each other, the hands landing on his hips and pulling him even closer than before. The way Seongwu tilted his head to the side to slant their lips together at a better angle, the tongue swiping the seam of his lips, eliciting a gasp.

It all felt like home. There was nothing hurried, nothing unfamiliar, no urgency behind it. Only deep affection. Daniel’s left hand wandered down Seongwu’s neck, his thumb gently swiping the soft skin of his neck as he deepened the kiss, their tongues wound around each other. His hand wandered further down, over his shoulder, down Seongwu’s arm, eventually leaving it and going to his waist. He slipped his hand around him, across the small of his back and pulled him even closer, his mouth still moving languidly against the other’s.

Seongwu’s right hand wandered up Daniel’s chest, stopping shortly at the juncture of his neck and the sliding upwards, caressing his jaw, before the long bony fingers buried themselves in his hair. Somehow they got even closer but the proximity changed nothing in the air between them. There was no urgency, still, no need to take things further. 

The heat between their bodies was familiar but there was no need to quench the flame. It wasn’t a raging fire, consuming and needy - it was more the warmth of fireplace. Gentle, warming but not burning. Daniel felt Seongwu sigh against his lips, brushed his hand gently over his back that was slightly arched into their embrace.

He subconsciously noticed how the way they were wound around and into each other was a mirror of the other: One hand pulling the closer, one caressing them gently. The light of the sun still fell on them and he could feel the rays’ warmth on his cheeks. 

A knock at the door sounded, three times and gently against the thick wood. Daniel sighed slightly at the interruption but broke the kiss softly after a moment. His eyes fluttered open to see Seongwu already looking at him, the fondness almost overflowing from his eyes. Daniel leaned forward again and left a soft peck on his lips before doing the same on the tip of his nose and then his forehead. 

Seongwu’s hand tightened around the back of his neck and he pulled him closer until their foreheads rested against each other, breath mingling. They remained in that position for a while, revelling in the warmth between them and basking in each other. 

The knock sounded again, this time harder and louder. 

“Alright, I am not gonna come in because I have seen things before I didn’t want to see!” Jisung’s voice called. “But I am here to tell you two that you have about ten minutes to get your arses down to the entrance hall because - believe it or not - it’s Hogsmeade weekend and you are heads of houses. So the students are waiting to sign out. For you.” 

Daniel’s eyes flew open, looking into Seongwu’s equally surprised ones. They had totally forgotten about this. 

“Shit, shit, shit,” Seongwu murmured and untangled their bodies to run towards their desks and grab the lists on them. 

“How did we completely forget about that?” Daniel asked, turning in a circle in his confusion, trying to gather his wits. He decided he should at least show some courtesy to Jisung and open the door. He stumbled towards it and pulled open the heavy bar: Jisung was leaning against the arch of the doorway, inspecting his fingernails and looking at Daniel with a raised eyebrow. 

“Hope I didn’t interrupt anything,” he said. “At least you’re dressed this time.” 

Daniel flushed at the memory of Jisung walking in on them in rather… compromising situations. He held up his hands in defence and shook his head. Behind him, Seongwu was struggling to put his shoes on and not drop the lists he clutched under his arm. He started hopping through the room as his balance failed him. 

“We weren’t doing anything, honestly!” Daniel defended himself. “Absolutely innocent.” 

Jisung nodded with a sagely expression.

“Ah yes, of course. And your hair is like this because of the birds nesting in there due to your friendly nature. Honest mistake on my part then.” 

Seongwu had then finally managed to get his shoes on and stepped behind Daniel, hands smoothing through his hair and flattening out the strands sticking into all directions. 

“We gotta hurry,” he reminded them. “Students are waiting!” 

And with that he pushed Daniel through the doorway, hurrying him down the corridors and stairs to eventually arrive in the Entrance hall. The Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws under Yoojung and Chungha had already started signing out, and several of the Gryffindors and Slytherins let out a sigh of relief when they finally spotted their heads of houses on top of the staircase. 

“Coming, coming, we had some stuff to attend to!” Daniel called out, taking two steps at once, followed by Seongwu. A snort was audible at his proclamation from where Chungha was hunched over her list, but Daniel paid it no mind and wanted to turn to his line of students when a hand grabbed his collar and yanked him back. 

“Your list.” Seongwu shoved the mass of papers into his face with a smile before turning to his students with an impish grin. “Let’s get you rascals outta here!”

Daniel couldn’t help but chuckle and stepped towards the start of his line of students, leaving through the sheets and sorting by grade quickly. 

“Alright, let’s get this started, guys. Can’t have them out-do us!” he called and earned a cheer from his house. He grinned and threw a look over his shoulder. 

.oO°Oo.

“So actually Jinyoung was able to convince the students that the rumour was actually true when he fled.” Jisung finished his story about the latest prank by the GoldenChemi duo. The whole teachers’ table had been listening to him retelling what he had found out from Byungchan and Dongpyo and most of the faculty was snickering by now. Some tried to conceal their mirth behind hands of raised goblets but most just laughed outright. 

Daehwi looked rather unimpressed with the whole thing, his raised eyebrow tell-tale sign of his exasperation and headmaster Dongwook’s eyebrow had been twitching for about half of the story. Seongwu was currently delivering some hits to Daniel’s back, who had managed to choke on his potatoes in laughter and Doyeon and Yoojung had practically fallen over each other, gasping for air. Only Sohye, their teacher for potions, looked somewhat impressed, nodding slowly and her wide eyes even more wide in astonishment than usual. Sejeong softly tapped her chin to make her close her open mouth. 

“So that’s why the wimp didn’t want to come to dinner with me,” Daehwi whined and crossed his arms in front of his body. “I should’ve known something was up, he isn’t such a baby on most days,” he proclaimed. Headmaster Dongwook rested his head in his hands for a moment before he looked at the ceiling and then directed his gaze at the whining teacher down the table. 

“We can’t have this, seriously,” he said exasperatedly. “We’ve _ got _ to clear this up. Daehwi, please go and fetch Jinyoung from the tower. Now.” 

Daehwi sighed and got up, Seongwu following his example, seemingly to accompany him. Daniel glanced up from where he had managed to free his airpipe from potatoes and nodded with a small smirk of encouragement. Seongwu mirrored his gesture and then turned to follow Daehwi who had rushed past them in a flurry of plum coloured robes and silver hair. Seongwu slipped behind him and fell into step next to the smaller man as they headed to the entrance of the Great Hall. 

Jisung seemed satisfied with what he had managed through his story and turned back to his baked pumpkin, engaged in a discussion about migratory dragon breeds with Nayoung. Beside them, Jieqiong was chattering away about ancient egyptian inscriptions with Sungwoon, both of them talking over an obviously uncomfortable Guanlin. The tall man was ducking down to adapt to the two smaller Professors talking over his head, but he was still too large for them to not try and lean around him. Daniel couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight. 

“So you were occupied with stuff this morning, Kang?” Chungha asked two seats over, leaning a bit over Seongwu’s empty chair to speak more comfortably to Daniel. A feline smile was playing around her features. 

“Was the important stuff, by any chance, tall with dark hair and in your quarters? And late as well?” Her lips pulled into a full-blown Cheshire grin but with no actual malice behind it. Next to her, Sejeong was looking at the display with amusement in her eyes. Daniel turned his body towards the blonde witch and grinned lopsidedly. 

“Perhaps, Kim,” he replied, tone nonchalant. “But don’t act as if it hadn’t happened to you before. And the description would be the same. Except for the tall maybe.” He shot a wink at Sejeong who promptly took a large gulp of her wine to hide her laugh and enjoyed the slight flush now visible on the normally unshakable Transfiguration master’s cheeks. Kim Chungha had exactly one weakness and Daniel knew that. 

“I can’t deny the last part,” she replied and sat up straight again, “but unlike you, we manage to enjoy ourselves plenty and be on time. Even if we were caught up,” her eyes flitted over at Sejeong and she laced their hands together on the arm rests of their chairs, “in a rather tangled situation.” At this Sejeong started choking on her wine and caused a surprised Sohye next to her to flutter around her in worry. Chungha held eye contact with Daniel before they both grinned and turned away from each other, Daniel returning to his food and Chungha patting Sejeong’s back. 

Suddenly, the large entrance doors opened again and a struggling Jinyoung was shoved into the Great Hall by a miffed Daehwi. The doors fell shut behind them and headmaster Dongwook rose to his feet. Silence fell over the hall as the students turned their heads to look at him, some still staring at the pale man and the teacher in the vibrant robes behind him. 

“We have got to clear something up,” Dongwook’s voice echoed through the hall, powerful but not unkind. “There is, apparently, a rumor going around that we have a vampire in our midst.” 

He looked around the hall, eyes flying over the house table and the students sitting at them. 

“And someone,” his eyes flew to the Hufflepuff table, focussing on Keum Donghyun for a moment before they continued to Ravenclaw and found Hwang Yunseong, “has distributed rigged garlic cloves to first years.” 

Murmurs rose among the students, some giggled, some smaller children looked anxiously to where Daehwi was still standing with Jinyoung. 

“Now, while I can appreciate a humorous and harmless prank,” Dongwook continued, “I am forced to put an end to this particular tomfoolery.” The students he had looked at before seemed to shrink in their seats a bit. Daniel searched for Lee Jinhyuk at his house table and saw that the boy's face looked a bit pale. 

“I have no intention of punishing anyone, as I assume you meant no harm. However, I have to clear up a misunderstanding for our first year students.” Dongwook’s face turned kinder, a small smile appearing on his face as he scanned the tables again. 

“This,” he pointed his hand towards Jinyoung, ”is not a vampire. You may not know this yet as you haven’t had divination. But he is actually our school oracle, Professor Bae Jinyoung. Next to him is Professor Lee Daehwi, of Divination. You will get to know them later on in your studies but let me just say: Professor Bae is neither dangerous nor a vampire.”

Relieved gasps and murmurs spread through the Great Hall again, some of the older students grinning sheepishly at the accusing looks the first years sent them. 

“He is, however, very sensitive to smell,” Dongwook continued. “So I would ask all of you who might still carry them to ‘disarm’ their garlic cloves or have older students and teachers help them, so we can welcome Professor Bae to the feast.” 

The headmaster sat down and silence fell over the hall for a moment before Daehwi pushed Jinyoung slightly forward. As he stepped towards the teacher's table, chatter broke out through the hall again and the atmosphere returned to its previous relaxed state. Daniel looked, with his head rested on his folded hands, how Daehwi was muttering something to Jinyoung who had quickened his step. A slight smile had appeared on his face and Daehwi seemed more relaxed as well as they reached the teacher’s table and sat down in their seats. Dongwook nodded towards Jinyoung and raised his goblet in greeting. 

Daniel leaned back and pushed his chair back a bit. It should start any moment now….

The doors flew open again, this time followed by a gust of cold wind from outside. It swept through the Great Hall blew out about half of the candles, plunging the room into a twilight. The torches in the entrance hall seemed to have been extinguished as only pitch black darkness came from the open doors. Conversations among the students hushed, some worried glances were extinguished. All teachers had focused their attention on the opened doors. 

A dark figure stepped towards the entrance, still covered in darkness. Only red eyes were visible, and silent sobs as the creature drew closer. It’s feet reached the light cast by the remaining candles and revealed completely black clothes, a ragged robe over what looked like an extremely old suit. Both were ragged, with rips and tears in it, the occasional flash of skin visible through some of the deeper gashes as the creature stepped into the light completely.

The head became visible: eyes, sunken into their sockets, deathly pale skin and tousled black hair. The creature looked half dead, like a human shortly before reaching their demise. Bloody tear trails were visible on the equally sunken in cheeks, making it look even more like a fleshless skull. Only the bright red eyes and ragged breaths showed that it was still alive. 

The eyes of younger students widened at the horrifying sight as they exchanged panicked looks. Fear spread among the first years as the darkness and cold crept into the Great Hall. They didn't know what to do and what exactly just entered, and they glanced at the older students and the teacher's table in search of an explanation. Everyone else, however, appeared surprisingly composed and almost relaxed - and confusion spread among the first years. Fearfully, some clung to each other, trembling or pale but the majority froze and stared at the ghastly figure - curious and scared of what would happen next. Because the face they saw was different than usual but still familiar to them all, especially one house. Slytherin’s head of house, Professor Ong Seongwu. 

Another sob echoed through the Great Hall, but it sounded like several voices crying out at once, a strange and painful dissonance. Complete silence enveloped the hall, no sound audible except for the heavy breaths and sobs of Seongwu.

“A Banshee,” someone murmured, clearly audible through the room. 

Seongwu’s head shut up and a desperate cry left his lips, echoing through the Great Hall, bouncing of the walls, even more voices seeming to join in and only quieting down slowly. 

“Stop, I coulda dropped my croissant!” a voice proclaimed from the far right side of the hall - the Slytherin table. Daniel recognised the voice: Lee Hangyul had spoken. Down the teacher table Minhyun was coughing into his sleeve and Daniel could see several faces throughout the hall trying to remain composed. 

Daniel sighed and stood up from his chair. It was time then. He stepped from behind the table and started rounding it, descending the steps towards the House tables. He went through the corridor between the middle ones, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, standing opposite of Seongwu. 

“This,” he said in a loud but composed voice, “is what a Banshee looks like.” His eyes flitted around the tables, seeing relaxation spreading across the faces of the older students, but still fear among the first years. 

“Banshees are very misunderstood creatures,” he continued, a broad and happy smile blooming on his face, gaze now fixed on Seongwu who was returning it, eyes locked to his. 

“They are said to be dangerous, bringers of death through their voice. At night they appear and weep in front of people’s houses to announce the soon-to-come death of a loved one.” He looked around and saw terror blooming on some of the first year’s faces - the muggle-born students only understood now what they were seeing. 

“But,” Daniel continued, still smiling, “this is where myth and truth start to merge.” 

He started walking down the aisle, slow steps, never taking his eyes off Seongwu. 

“Banshee’s do announce soon death, this is true. However, that is not their only job.” His steps echoed through the hall. 

“They are of the Fae folk, creatures of nature but bound to humanity. They are like messengers between the human world and the supernatural creatures: they can also deliver joyful messages. Like fairies, appearing and singing children to sleep, reviving flowers or even helping with small chores.” 

Confused looks started going around the first years. Daniel saw how Sejin, one of Ravenclaw’s prefects, put a calming hand on a first year’s shoulder close to him. 

“They originate from Ireland but most of their myth has developed during the Great Potato Famine in the 19th century which brought a lot of deaths,” Daniel continued, steps even slower now, smile still in place but fondness lacing into it the closer he got to Seongwu.

“To sum it up: Banshees have a bad reputation. But that originated from a time where their job was extremely shitty. Many, admittedly bad messages, and a limited number of Banshees meant overtime: no sleep, no breaks, no time for food. Bad energy sapping a lot of their strength to have them end up like this. Just because they had a shitty job.” 

Some snorts were audible around the hall. Jinhyuk was snickering into his pudding at the Gryffindor table. Daniel grinned. 

“But remember, they are of the fae folk. And they can bring happiness too. So today you will learn how to ‘defend’ yourself against a Banshee.” He twirled around with his arms stretched out before his eyes settled on Seongwu again. 

“Laughter,” he said. “Smiles. Happiness. They rip a Banshee from their saddened state and return them to their original form.” He could see smiles break out all around him and stepped forward until only a few feet were still separating him from Seongwu. 

A long sharp whistle filled the Hall: a teapot had started it, now clearing its throat. The tea pots from all over the hall followed it and started humming, going into harmony before they suddenly broke out into song. “The bare necessities” from the Jungle book started, sung in many voices and and ranges at once, more enthusiastic than harmonious. 

Suddenly the large pumpkins that were littered all throughout empty spots in the hall jumped up on their leaves and tendrils and started bouncing up and down, hopping in circles. Their tendrils intertwined and they started a long chain of pumpkins, performing a chaotic dance to the song still sung by the tea pots. Autumn fairies appeared from the pumpkins and started dancing through the hall too, flitting through the air and sailing around students. 

The first years seemed in awe at first and as soon as the fear was lifted off them and relief flooded in, they started giggling. The older students were already snickering or outright laughing. Commotions spread through the Great hall as the pumpkins started building a precariously swaying pyramid, led by Jisung at the teacher’s table. 

Daniel kept his gaze fixed on Seongwu. As soon as the first laughs had sounded, the tears tracks on his cheeks had faded. The flesh started filling out again, his skin regained a healthy colour. The previously clenched fists at his sides relaxed and a smile started playing on his face, as a gust of wind blew up his black robe. As it fell down again it had returned to the normal dark day robe he wore, with slacks and a white dress shirt underneath. His eyes were fading back to their normal colour and he took a step towards Daniel. 

They walked back to the teacher table side by side, unnoticed by the students still preoccupied by the commotion around them. Only some of the older ones nodded at them with smiles on their faces. They reached the table and Daniel held out a hand for Seongwu to go around it first, following closely behind him until they reached their seats.

As they did, Dongwook rose again, his arms raising above his head to clap once. The pumpkins hopped off the pyramid in tumbleas and returned to their corners, the pixies joined them and the teapots stopped except for an over-enthusiastic one. It was still engaged in a canon with Cho Seungyoun, both singing their hearts out. He was, however, easily quieted by Hangyul not so subtly pinching his side causing him to yelp and quiet down. 

And amused grin found its way onto the headmaster’s face as he looked over the hall. 

“Forgive us the scare,” he started. “We do this every year, actually.” The first years exchanged looked baffled, ranging from amused to offended. 

“What we try to teach you with this are several things,” he continued. 

“Number one: don’t take anything you hear for granted. Question it, look it up, be sure to know what you think to know. Number two: don’t let fear stop you or undermine your abilities. Stay calm, even if it seems hard, and you will find a way out.” 

Some students seemed sceptical, some in awe. 

“Number three: don’t judge a book - or a person, animal or creature of any kind - by its cover. Try to understand it. And Number four,” Dongwook paused to look through the hall again, scanning all tables and a broad smile spread over his face. 

“Number four is probably the most important one: be happy. Enjoy what you do. Cry if you need to. Allow your emotions and try to live your best. You are all capable to do this and achieve many things and I have faith that you will try your best.” 

He took a deep breath. 

“Now, I don’t want to bore you with long and emotional speeches but I want to reassure our youngest students: no harm has come to your potions teacher,” he gestured at Seongwu, “nor will any harm come to you. Professor Ong is completely capable of controlling his abilities and he is not dangerous.” Dongwook hesitated for a moment before he flashed a smirk.

“As long as you don’t get on his bad side that is.” He sat down again and folded his hands, elbows resting on the table. “Enjoy the rest of the Halloween feast.” 

The food that had previously been on the golden plates all over the tables vanished and was replaced by masses of desert a moment later. Cakes, Ice cream, sweets, and the obligatory mint drops - everything was there and the students didn’t hesitate to dig in. Especially the previously scared ones seemed to have been hit by a wave of appetite now, and within moments the Great Hall returned to its previous liveliness once again. 

Daniel leaned towards Seongwu to whisper: “It was a full success, wasn’t it?” 

Seongwu nodded in reply, a proud grin spreading on his face. He reached for Daniel’s hand and intertwined their fingers, resting their joined hands on the Gryffindor’s thigh. He seemed complacent and happy. Well, the students didn’t need to know that Seongwu’s control system were laugh potions in his coffee and his daily dose of Kang Daniel's smile. But that was definitely enough to keep him sane. His hand squeezed Daniel’s fingers for a moment before he relaxed again. It had been a success. No slip-ups or insanity. This time. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next Chapter will return to varying POVs of students, so please look forward to it!
> 
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Twitter: [@chaos_kisses](https://twitter.com/chaos_kisses?s=09)


	12. How a snake made everything fall into place

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go with a new chapter- punctual for once and back to our students! And new POVs at that too. Hope you enjoy it!

“Quoting vines? Really hyung?” Minhee asked with a deadpan expression while he patted the back of a still snickering Dohyon. Hangyul looked pleased with himself and leaned back into his chair. 

“Well, it was a rather… fitting moment,” he claimed. “And I could have dropped my food with how much that scaredy cat here was flinching.”

He pointed at Seungyoun next to him who sputtered indignantly with a single hot pink strand falling onto his forehead, causing another giggle flash for Dohyon. 

“I was just surprised when the doors flew open!” he defended himself. “Not all of us can be completely immune to scares and surprises. Remember how Dohyon screamed during his first Halloween here?” 

The youngest of the group sobered up suddenly, sitting straight and glaring at the oldest. Hangyul just smirked and let his eyes wander from Seungyoun to Dohyon, crossing his arms in front of his chest. 

“I was pretty sure he tried to communicate with the merfolk down in the lake with how high-pitched he sounded,” he commented and caused a snort from Minhee. A slight smirk stole itself on Seungyoun’s lips and yellow started streaking into his black hair, the pink already gone.

“You know, people can make the most surprising sounds in certain situations,” Seungyoun stated with a suggestive tone, sipping from his goblet to hide his grin. Hangyul’s smirk grew even deeper at his words, Wonjin’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline and Minhee promptly spat out the piece of cake he had just put in his mouth. Dohyon just groaned and let his head fall down onto the table. Before he could hit the wood, Hangyul’s hand shot out to cushion his forehead and soften the impact. 

“Really, hyung?” he asked from his place on the table. “Did you have to say that?” 

His words earned him fervent nods from the others and a glare from another Slytherin further down the table. The second year next to him had innocently asked him what Seungyoun had meant and now he seemed to be in a bind to explain it. Another seventh year, Baek Jin, opposite of them was snickering into his cake. 

“It’s bad enough that I have walked in on you two more times than I can count.” Dohyon sighed against the table. “At least restrain yourself in public.” 

He lifted his head and glared at Seungyoun, eyes flitting to where he had put his hand high up on Hangyul’s thigh. Minhee, who was sitting next to Hangyul, looked rather shocked and promptly moved his chair a bit away from them. Hangyul chuckled. 

“Well, sorry for your bad luck, Hyunnie, but there’s several reasons why you,” he looked around pointedly at the others, “shouldn’t worry about any hanky panky during dinner.”

He grabbed Seungyoun’s hand that was still on his thigh and used it like a prop to gesture around. 

“Number one: believe it or not, both of us,” he waved Seungyoun’s hand between them and promptly smacked the other in the face, “_ do have _at least a shred of dignity and awareness left.” 

Dohyon looked thoroughly unconvinced. 

“Number two: there are more important things, like food,” Hangyul continued, gesturing up and down the table. This time Seungyoun ducked out of his way early enough to not be smacked by his own hand again. Wonjin nodded at this statement. 

“Number three:” the Slytherin carried on, a slight look of fear sneaking onto his features, “I don’t have a death wish. I really don’t want to be killed for tainting children because a certain someone would definitely teach me manners in the most painful way possible.” 

Seungyoun next to Hangyul shuddered, his eyes wide open and fearful. Minhee seemed confused, whilst Baek Jin seemed to have fused into his plate with how his head was going further and further down during his snickering. Dohyon seemed to consider for a moment before his eyes flitted to a point behind Hangyul’s shoulder. The older noticed and turned around slowly, his boyfriend following his example. 

On the Ravenclaw table next to the Slytherin’s, Wooseok was looking straight at them from where he sat, Sejin next to him looking extremely amused. A sweet smile played around the Headboy's features, almost angelic with his large innocent eyes behind his big round glasses and small statue. Wooseok tilted his head to the side a bit and smiled broader, eyes turning into crescents and teeth showing before he opened his eyes again. There was a glint in them. 

“Good to see that you know me so well, Hangyul,” he said sweetly, barely loud enough for them to hear. “I trust your behaviour will be impeccable?” 

Hangyul swallowed and nodded with a scared smile that looked more like a grimace on his face. Wooseok nodded slowly and smiled broadly again. 

“Lovely. Have a nice evening then,” he said and turned to Eunsang who had been poking him to get his attention, raising an eyebrow at the younger. Whilst Hangyul turned back around, Seungyoun continued looking at the Headboy: Eunsang whispered something to him and pointed discreetly towards the Gryffindor table with a not so discreet smile on his face. 

Seungyoun followed his hand and saw a owlish-looking Jinhyuk at the table, apparently so lost in observation of a certain Ravenclaw that he didn’t even notice the fake spiders from the table decorations that Byungchan was draping all over him. Seungyoun’s eyes flitted back to Wooseok, who had followed the direction Eunsang had pointed at too but waved it off. When he turned back however, Seungyoun saw a slight blush painting his cheeks and another glance showed him how Jinhuyk had flinched away from his gaze and was now scrambling with all the spiders dropping from his head.

Seungyoun smirked. Interesting. He filed the information away for later use and turned back to his own housemates. They were still snickering over Hangyul’s (righteous) fear and how sweet Wooseok usually seemed. Seungyoun patted his younger boyfriend’s shoulder and threw an arm around him sympathetically. 

The discussion carried on for a bit more, with Baek Jin now completely fused to the table in silent laughter, only occasionally wheezing and assuring them that he was indeed still alive. At some point, they were interrupted in their argument if syrup cake or chocolate fudge cake was better, when hands fell onto Minhee’s shoulders and a body leaned over him. The boy didn’t even look up - he knew it had to be Hyeob. 

“Hey guys!” he greeted them. The fifth year had sat with some friends further up the table and they hadn’t seen him all evening. “Do you want to head down to the common room too? It’s getting a little stuffy in here.” 

Seungyoun agreed. Having several hundred students in the hall was becoming stuffy after a few hours and he nodded in reply to the younger’s question. The sofas in the common room seemed like a way more inviting option than the increasingly hard wooden chairs they were sitting on here. Hangyul nodded too and shot a look over to Dohyon, raising an eyebrow in question. 

Seungyoun looked over too, always fascinated by how they communicated without words. Dohyon didn’t reply in a direct way; instead his eyes flew over to another point in the Great Hall before they returned to Hangyul who just lowered his still raised eyebrow and stood up. 

“Alright then, let’s head down then,” he said. “My butt hurts from these chairs.” He pushed back the chair and stepped towards Hyeob, as Minhee and Seungyoun followed his example. Wonjin, too, nodded after a moment and got up, mumbling something about just saying hello to Hyeongjun before they leave the hall. Dohyon just scooted over to Baek Jin and poked the other to test how much life was still left in him after his laughing flash. 

Seungyoun held out his arms and pushed Hangyul, Minhee and Hyeob forward, effectively herding them towards the door where they could wait for Wonjin without blocking the narrow aisle between the house tables. Other students had also started to leave and trickled out into the entrance hall as they stood and waited. 

Eventually, Wonjin exited the Great Hall too and joined them at the wall next to the Grand Staircase where they had waited. As they walked down the corridor, the younger one’s engaged in a discussion on their current DADA topic, the two older one’s stayed behind them, quietly . Seungyoun looked over at Hangyul, the younger looking content and a bit tired. Seungyoun stepped towards him a bit and laced their pinky fingers together. 

They both weren’t big on PDA, whatever their comments might implicate, and Seungyoun knew Hangyul felt uncomfortable holding hands in public. It wasn’t because he was ashamed or because he despised couple behaviour - it just wasn’t in his nature as much, even though he sometimes tolerated the younger kids clinging to him. 

He didn’t avoid skinship completely but usually he just shortly threw an arm around someone’s shoulder or waist or did half-hugs. And even though Seungyoun was more a creature of skinship (even though no one would ever beat Seungwoo and Jinhyuk at that), he knew when he should hold a certain distance to Hangyul. 

He didn’t take it personal. He didn’t have to display his affection for the whole world to see if they were directed at Hangyul anyway and he could always coddle the younger ones if he really wanted to. He even felt a bit sorry for Dohyon who had the misfortune of walking in on them with impeccable timing to discover them in more or less decent situations. Nothing graphic but still. Hangyul was practically his older brother and no one would want to see their siblings snogging. 

A body he collided into stopped both his thoughts and his steps as he flailed around and tried to keep both Wonjin and himself on his feet until a hand grabbed his upper arm and a second steadied the younger. 

“Stop zoning out, you space cadet. One day you’re gonna break your neck on the stairs and I won’t be there to catch you,” Hangyul said with fake annoyance, eyes flitting over Wonjin to make sure he was okay before he focused on his boyfriend. Seungyoun grinned cheesily.

“But where could you be if you’re always in my heart?” he asked with a grin. Minhee gagged at that comment and Hyeob looked disgusted, patting his friends back soothingly. A shudder ran through Wonjin. Hangyul didn’t show any reaction except for a small twitch in the corner of his left eye. 

“He’s had worse lines, guys,” he said and turned to the younger boys who where still in shock over that much cheesiness. “Makes you wonder how people find him charming.” 

He stepped towards the tapestry that covered the entrance to their common room and said the password. Whoever had chosen ‘Anaconda’ as this month’s code had not counted on all the students starting to sing whenever they entered the common room. Seungyoun was almost glad that the month was almost over - he’s had enough of bad rap renditions. 

“Still,” Hyeob pondered with a hand on his chin, “he got you to fall for him, even with all the cheesiness and dumb jokes.” 

“Oi!” Seungyoun shouted, a blush creeping on his cheeks but no real anger behind his voice. “Watch your mouth, child!” 

Hangyul held open the door and waved the kids and Seungyoun inside before he closed it behind them. They quickly walked past him and went to occupy one of the sofas closest to the fire place. Hangyul followed them, beside Seungyoun again. 

“Actually,” he corrected Hyeob’s earlier statement, “that was not my decision.” 

He sat down in an armchair next to the younger boys whilst Seungyoun splayed out over another loveseat opposite of them. Hangyul’s statement made him chuckle; the three others looked puzzled.

“What do you mean?” Wonjin asked. “You did befriend him after all. And you two got together, didn’t you?” 

Hangyul and Seungyoun nodded. “But the whole process was actually not out of our own volition,” Seungyoun explained enigmatically. Hangyul nodded along. 

“You know,” he continued with a thoughtful expression, “he actually propositioned me on our first meeting. He wouldn’t stop talking about what was in his pants.” 

Three pairs of eyes widened and flitted back and forth between the couple. Shock was visible on their faces with a faint trace of disgust. This was a truly unexpected turn of events. 

“Well, I found you rummaging through my bed in less than publicly appropriate clothing,” Seungyoun said. “And you started the whole topic.” 

“I asked what you were doing there. You misunderstood me,” Seungyoun continued, turning up his nose. Hangyul bellowed out a short laugh. 

“Hah! You said, and I quote, “There’s a snake in my pants and it’s moving’.” The three younger boys huddled into practically one pile at that, eyes still flitting between the pair, and disbelief clear on their faces. Minhee’s mouth hung open, Wonjin’s soul seemed to have left his body and Hyeob looked ready to throw himself off the next tower just to unhear the story.

“And it was true!” Seungyoun retaliated, oblivious to the three shell-shocked boys opposite of him, eyes fixed on his boyfriend instead. “And sometimes I think you love that snake more than me!”

Hangyul smirked. “Sometimes I think that too but I have to admit that the whole package you’re offering is… inviting.” 

“Hyung,” Hyeob whispered, “how utterly daring and… distasteful.” 

Minhee buried his face in Hyeob’s shoulder as Wonjin nodded to his friend’s words. A loud groan sounding from behind them had them all redirect their attention. Dohyon was standing there, his hand pinching the bridge of his nose, a long-suffering expression on his face and the fluffy brown cat they all knew for following Wonjin around on his shoulder.

The kitten nudged Dohyon’s cheek, softly purring as if to console him and Dohyon took a deep breath and looked up, glaring at both of his hyungs.

“The only daring and distasteful thing about that story is the way they told it,” he said. “There was no proposition, no actual inappropriateness in the way you had them” he gestured at the boys, “think of and you should all get your minds out of the gutter.” 

Dohyon trailed over to the sofa Seungyoun was laying on and nudged his feet to have the tall boy retract them and make some room for the younger to sit. Seungyoun sat up at that and turned around as soon as Dohyon had made himself comfortable, placing his head on his lap. He grinned up at the younger boy and the cat that was still on Dohyon’s shoulder decided that this was her moment. 

The feline jumped from where it was sitting down onto Seungyoun’s face, claws luckily retracted as to not have him lose an eye, rolled around a few times before it got up again to jump on the low table between the sofas. There, it looked back for a moment, before it continued to the others and jumped into Wonjin’s lap. 

Seungyoun, who had ended up with a face full of fluff and fur was still coughing and flailing a bit, coaxing a chuckle from both Dohyon and Hangyul. 

“Don’t blame me if he’s coughing up a fur ball into your bed, hyung,” Dohyon said with an evil smile, reciprocated by Hangyul. 

“Oh, if he does, I’m just gonna relocate to his bed while he cleans it up,” he said matter of factly. Minhee clearing his throat had them both turn to the others: they still looked rather confused and somewhat disbelievingly. Dohyon sighed. 

“Okay, listen…” 

.oO°Oo.

The day Seungyoun had met Hangyul had indeed been a coincidence. They had seen each other around before, being in the same house and just one year apart after all but this had been a surprise. He wasn’t completely sure who he had stumbled upon but he knew the face of the boy who was currently lifting the covers of Seungyoun’s bed. 

“Uhm, what are you doing here?” Seungyoun asked from the door, dumbstruck. He had just returned from the library to drop off a book he had lent over the summer holidays and had given back now, not expecting to see any of his roommates when he had opened the door. 

And indeed, none of them was here. Instead, a strange boy in only Pyjama pants and a low cut sleeveless shirt was rummaging through the room. His hair was bleached blond and tousled as if he had just crawled out of bed (he probably had, considering it was a Saturday). He turned around to Seungyoun, still holding up his blanket. 

Confusion shot through him: he had been sure that the other was younger than him as Seungyoun knew almost every older student, but the facial features of this boy made him look more mature than he had to be. Seungyoun was pretty sure he was a third year but he wouldn’t bet on it. The fourth year stepped into his room and automatically shut the door in the process. The other still hadn’t answered his question; the click of the door seemed to snap him out of his stupor, however. 

“I’m looking for my pet,” he said apologetically. “Sorry for barging in here but this was the closest dorm room and I already asked around the others he could’ve snuck away to.” The boy placed down Seungyoun’s blanket carefully and turned around fully. 

“He likes to hide, so I was searching for him,” he said with a shrug as if it would explain what exactly he was doing here. “I’m Lee Hangyul by the way. You’re Cho Seungyoun, right?” 

Seungyoun just looked at him, blinking and dumbfounded. The confidence this boy held himself with, the unapologetic and still honest and respectful way he talked. He didn’t know what to make of it. His pet had snuck away? And he was rummaging through other people’s dorm rooms. What was going through his head? He cleared his throat.

“Right. So you’re rummaging through other people’s rooms? Sounds fake to me,” he said eventually and stepped forward to approach the boy who was still next to his bed. 

Seungyoun stopped next to his open trunk. It was as he left it, nothing out of order or moved. He discreetly glanced at the other trunks around the room. From what he could see they looked untouched too, some even locked. The boy hadn’t been going through their personal things, apparently, except for the beds. 

He looked back down at his own trunk and blanched. A pair of pants he had thrown in messily last evening was laying on top of the nicely folded clothing. And one leg was moving. Slow twitches until the whole leg suddenly jerked. 

“Oh my god,” Seungyoun breathed out unable to move. He heard the other boy step closer around the bed.

“What is it?” Hangyul asked apprehensively. Seungyoun looked up at him with wide eyes. 

“There’s something in my pants,” he said disbelievingly. From where he stood, Hangyul was unable to see the content of the trunk. He raised an eyebrow and his eyes flew down Seungyoun’s body for a second before he looked back up. 

“You don’t say,” he said blankly. “Congrats on noticing.” 

Seungyoun felt heat on his cheeks and waved his hands.

“No, that’s not what I meant!” he called. “I meant…”

He looked down at the still moving pair of pants to see a small head poke out from them. A small scaly head, with small black eyes and a slit tongue poking out. A snake. A small snake. In his pants. Black spotted the head of the small animal as it nudged against the pant leg playfully, wiggling a bit. 

“There’s a snake in my pants,” Seungyoun breathed out disbelievingly. He looked up at Hangyul whose eyebrows shot up and his eyes flitted down again.

“What the hell man?” he asked incredulously. “Are you propositioning me?” 

He sounded somewhere between amused and flabbergasted. Seungyoun just shook his head frantically and took a step back. 

“No, no, no, no, no, I don’t even know what that means! But there literally is a snake. In. My. Pants.” He stressed each word and flinched when the snake slid out further and lifted its head higher. Hangyul’s mouth fell open in surprise and he hurried to round the bed and crouched down next to the trunk.

“Lafayette!” he called and stretched out his hand towards the snake. “There you are!”

Seungyoun was sure he had one of the dumbest expressions he could master on his face right now. Lafayette? As he struggled to comprehend the situation (for the second time in the span of maybe 5 minutes), Hangyul continued cooing at the snake that had started swinging its head from side to side before it laid it on Hangyul’s outstretched hand. 

“I looked everywhere for you!” the younger continued lovingly. “Where did you go, mate?”

Seungyoun’s last braincell finally decided to speak up. 

“Soooo you’re telling me your pet is a snake?” he asked slowly. Hangyul nodded, eyes not leaving the snake. 

“Yep.”

“And you’re a Slytherin,” Seungyoun continued, earning another nod.

“Yes,” the affirmation came again. “But I had Lafayette before. Got him from my nana, she thought he would be a great first pet and he really is. He’s so cuddly and affectionate.”

Hangyul’s elaboration didn’t make Seungyoun any less flabbergasted but at least explained the situation. He sighed and decided to just accept it, pinching the bridge of his nose. 

“Whatever, dude. Just get it out of my pants,” he said in exasperation. Hangyul let his eyes wander over him up to his face.

“You really _ are _propositioning me,” he said. Seungyoun hadn’t even bothered to reply to that and just grabbed a book to read. He waved at the other boy and left for the common room. This was too much at this time of the day. And definitely not what he had been expecting on his first weekend back at school. He decided to just leave it as it was and use the hour before lunch to finish his book. 

Following through with this plan he had dropped onto an armchair, lounging there until it was time to go and had ignored every attempt people made at speaking to him. He had needed some space after this confusing encounter.

Later at lunch he retold the story to Seungwoo after deciding to go to the Hufflepuff table today instead of his own house table. This decision had nothing to do with how he had spotted Hangyul sitting there and a certain urge to avoid the younger until he had cleared his head, of course. Seungwoo had looked amusedly for the better part of the story until Seungyoun came to his lack of vocabulary understanding. 

“And then he asked if I was propositioning him and I don’t even know what that word meant…” Seungyoun rambled on, stopping when Seungwoo’s sputtering interrupted his whiny monologue. He patted his friends back as he coughed and looked at him with wide eyes. 

“Seungyoun, sometimes you really are dense,” Seungwoo eventually coughed out, wiping tears from the corner of his eyes. The younger still looked confused and Seungwoo looked him straight in the eye. 

“He basically asked if you were coming onto him. Hitting on him,” he said, a smirk playing on his face. 

Oh. Seungyoun felt himself blush. 

Their encounter wasn’t their last, it turned out. And sooner than expected, to Seungyoun’s utter surprise. He wasn’t sure if his eyes were playing a trick on him when he was standing on the Quidditch field with the team, waiting for the people that had applied for try-outs. Hangyul had walked in with a gaggle of what Seungyoun assumed where his friends. Their eyes had met when the try-outs lined up in front of the team and Hangyul sent him a short smile before focussing on the captain. 

Alright then. Certainly not what he had been expecting today but Seungyoun had decided to just deal with everything as it came. And it turned out that the younger was a useful player, filling the empty spot of the Chaser they needed. Seungyoun was impressed and looked after the other when the captain ordered the applicants for Beater to step forward and the Chasers left the field. 

The younger climbed up the stairs in the bleachers and sat down next to a boy, Seungyoun recognised as someone from their house too, but even younger. The other boy had brown hair, a chubby and cute face with a slight frown on his features. When Hangyul sat down next to him, the other boy reached into his pocket and pulled the snake out, handing it to Hangyul. The older of the two carefully took it and pet its head before holding the sleeve of his jacket open - and the snake slivered inside. 

Seungyoun shivered a bit. He had no idea how a snake felt but in his head they were somewhat…. slimy. A whistle and call of his name brought his attention back to the field. Right. He had to help choose the new Beater. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts he turned back to the field.

But he still continued meeting the boy. He started recognising him in the hallways to the dorms, the common room, when eating in the Great Hall or when they passed each other in the hallways. He became aware of the other. And he couldn’t help it - it was out of his power. 

They developed something of a routine: Oftentimes, Hangyul would knock on the door to his dorm room and Seungyoun would open and point to the spot where Lafayette had curled up this time. Somehow the snake - the ball python, as Hangyul had stressed - always found its way back to Seungyoun. If Hangyul hadn’t looked slightly embarrassed by the second time he had knocked, Seungyoun would have believed it was on purpose. 

The good thing that came out of it was that they started talking. And Seungyoun realised that Hangyul wasn’t as closed-off or snarky as he seemed at first. Sure, the younger was extremely sarcastic but he had a nice sense of humor and clicked well with Seungyoun. Being in the same house and the Quidditch team helped too and before he knew it, Seungyoun spent more and more time with the younger. 

Along with figuring out that they made great friends, they also found the reason why Lafayette always ended up in Seungyoun’s room: A small whole in the wall. The dorm rooms of the Slytherins were on long corridors, and separated by sex: the girls to the right, the boys to the left from the common room, with the rooms being on both sides of the corridor and for five people each.

Seungyoun’s and Hangyul’s dorm rooms happened to be beside each other, and they also figured out that they shared the same wall against the head of their bed. Apparently, the furniture in Hangyul’s room had been moved around a bit and there was a hole right beside his nightstand, small enough to not be noticed but big enough for Lafayette to slip through - which he did. And he always headed for Seungyoun’s trunk. 

The older was a bit confused at first but as he became friends with Hangyul, he didn’t mind it as much. It took him quite a while, almost half a year, to dare and touch the small python, however. Before that, he had always gotten Hangyul but at some point the younger noticed that he was scared. It took a lot of coaxing, preparation and patience from Hangyul but eventually Seungyoun picked up Lafayette. 

He was… surprised. The snake was heavier than expected, warm and completely dry. It felt a bit like touching rocks but with a certain underlying softness. A confusing feeling. But nice, somehow. He decided he liked Lafayette at that moment and sat down to pet it, Hangyul chattering away about his day next to him.

Along with Lafayette, he also found a new friend through the younger: the boy he had seen at the try-outs. Dohyon was only in his first year when they met, Seungyoun being three years older and a fourth year. He and Hangyul were from the same neighborhood and had grown up together, inseparable. They were a lot like siblings, Seungyoun noticed, and he couldn’t help but love the small and chubby boy. Dohyon was incredibly cute. 

Hangyul and Dohyon became a constant in his life and he was glad for that. He loved his same age friends and he was a social butterfly but Seungyoun wasn’t too close with many people from Slytherin. It was nice being able to stay in the common room in the evening or just heading over to the dorm next door to chat instead of crossing the entire castle. And the two boys also clicked with his friends easily. 

Hangyul was already close to Yohan and Byungchan, them being in the same year, and he knew Dongpyo through them. Seungyoun introduced him to his older friends from Gryffindor and Hufflepuff - Jinhyuk and Seungwoo immediately liked him. Dohyon was shyer but as Hangyul dragged him along to make friends, he slowly came out of his shell. Especially Dongpyo’s bubbly nature and the easy-going character of their whole group made him more comfortable with everyone. 

Junho and Hangyul combined were a force of nature, their sarcasm once leaving Seungyoun in tears of joy and Yohan thoroughly confused as they roasted him mercilessly. Seungyoun was always glad when he wasn’t the victim of their attacks (perks of being older) but when Seungsik joined them as the year progressed, both Seungyoun and Seungwoo regularly fell victim to their snark too. 

Easily, a year had progressed and he was glad for having Hangyul as his friend. He cared deeply for the younger and felt comfortable in his presence. Increasingly, so that during the course of his fifth year Seungwoo had started teasing him if he was in love with the younger for how much he talked about him. 

Seungyoun had waved him off, not taking him serious. But at some point the words got stuck. He started thinking about where his friend got the idea of him having feelings for Hangyul came from. And he started to catch himself staring at the younger, lost in thought. His behaviour didn’t change. Why should it? Nothing changed between them after all. 

Except for one thing that Seungyoun started to notice as they progressed through the year. There were certain moments that were filled with tension. Not angry tension but something different. He couldn’t quite place it but it was definitely there. And he liked it. He knew his emotions were - well not written on his face but his hair. But he liked the tension surrounding them. 

And at some point he came to the realisation that he really might like the younger as more than a friend. It took him a long conversation with Seungwoo, a night of mulling it over and a moment in the library where Hangyul had frowned at his homework and Seungyoun’s only thought had been ‘I want to kiss that frown off his face’. 

His realisation changed only one thing: he became more daring. They had always had somewhat flirtatious conversation, something that had stuck from their first encounter. It was never serious but sometimes Seungyoun intentionally pushed further, heightened the tension. To see Hangyul’s reaction, he told himself. Not because his brain-to-mouth filter was taking a break. 

“You seem to smell nice,” Hangyul’s words had him turn around from his locker in confusion. They were the last ones in the changing room next to the Quidditch field after they had stayed a bit longer to practise some things. Seungyoun had just taken off his shirt to throw it into his bag when Hangyul, already done changing, had uttered them.

“We just finished Quidditch practise. I reek of sweat. But whatever floats your boat.” Seungyoun’s reaction carried some confusion and amusement, but he couldn’t help the slightly suggestive tone that snuck in. Hangyul’s eyes flew to him from where he had been staring straight ahead, leaned against the lockers next to Seungyoun. 

“No, I mean your clothes!” he explained with a chuckle. Seungyoun’s amusement was fuelled by that.

“You...what?” he said with a smirk and closed his locker door, leaning against it with just one hand, angled towards the younger. He noticed how his eyes flew over his still shirtless torso for a second before they returned to his face, no sign of uncomfortableness visible. 

“Oh hell no. Hyung, I’ll be waiting in the common room for you,” a voice suddenly said behind them. Seungyoun looked over his shoulder to see Dohyon hurriedly leaving the room, covering his eyes. The younger must have come in to pick them up from practise as he sometimes did. Seungyoun looked back at Hangyul when the door fell shut, a grin blooming on his face. They younger shook his head fondly at their youngest’s behavior before he looked back at Seungyoun.

“Yeah!” he continued their previous conversation. “Lafayette always goes to your stuff. He must like your smell. Snakes are very particular about smells and he’s very particular about people in general which is why I carry him around a lot.” 

His explanation made sense. Seungyoun had noticed that Lafayette avoided coming out of his pocket in Hangyul’s sleeve when other people where around and let only Dohyon and Seungyoun carry him around. It made sense, put like this. Still, he couldn’t help but look a bit smug.

“So you’re saying you pet python took a liking to me?” he asked. Hangyul nodded, his lips pursed. “Yes.” 

Seungyoun hummed and leaned closer. “Well, I guess he’s like his master then,” he said, smirk adorning his face. He saw a slight blush rising on Hangyul’s cheeks and the younger broke their eye contact after a moment, looking to the opposite line of lockers. 

“I put up with your shit,” he said, trying to sound blasé but a tiny tremor in his voice betrayed him. He definitely was affected by what Seungyoun was doing. The older leaned even closer, resting on his lower arm against the locker now, their faces inches apart. 

“Yeah right,” he said smugly. “Just admit you love me, Hangyul-ah.” 

Hangyul turned to look at him and Seungyoun forgot to breathe for a second from how close they suddenly were. The younger’s eyes flitted over his face before they settled on his hair. 

“Hyung, you know your hair just turned light pink, right?” Well shit, this wasn’t supposed to happen. Seungyoun had felt the nervousness pool in his abdomen but apparently it had been stronger than he thought. Clearing his throat he straightened up and grabbed his shirt from his bag behind him, pulling it over his head. 

“Anyways, where is Lafayette?” he asked, trying to change the topic. He could feel Hangyul raise an eyebrow at that but the younger complied, changing the topic to the python again.

There was one topic Seungyoun had avoided talking about. And he had been glad that Hangyul had never brought it up either: the colour changes of his hair. He knew he wouldn’t be able to avoid it forever but with the recent development of his emotions, it became more difficult to talk about. He wasn’t ashamed, no, but it was also rather personal. 

He knew it would come up eventually and when it did, it was done by Seungyoun himself. It had been a few weeks after the locker room encounter, during their Christmas holidays. Both Hangyul and Seungyoun had decided to stay in the castle over Christmas, so Dohyon wouldn’t be alone. Due to his ‘condition’ and an occasion of bad timing, the younger had to stay at Hogwarts over the holiday. Hangyul wouldn’t have left him alone anyway and Seungyoun decided to just join him. His family had been planning to go abroad and he had told them to just go earlier and without him. 

Dohyon was in the infirmary already on that very evening when Seungyoun and Hangyul came to talk about the topic. They were seated against the headboard of Seungyoun’s bed, the dorm room deserted and Lafayette on the younger’s lap. Seungyoun had taken a deep breath before he had blurted it out. 

“I’m a metamorphmagus.” He was met with a rather unimpressed look by the younger. 

“I know,” Hangyul said and Seungyoun felt himself relax a bit. “It’s pretty obvious with your hair changing colour all the time, you know.” 

He was right about that. Most people were a bit confused at first but they got used to streaks of colour appearing gradually in Seungyoun’s hair, sometimes his whole hair changing. But most of the times the colour slowly bled into strands only.

“It’s only your hair though, right?” Hangyul continued and Seungyoun nodded. 

“I’m only partly metamorphmagical,” he explained. “Like, one quarter I think. So it’s limited.” 

Hangyul nodded along, fingers gliding over Lafayette. The ball python was, true to its name, curled up into a small brown and black ball, nice and toasty thanks to the blanket the boys were sharing.

“It’s also not wilfully,” he continued. “The colours I mean.” 

Hangyul nodded slowly and stayed quiet for a minute before he spoke. 

“The colours are connected to the situation, right? To the emotions you feel then?” He looked up and smiled lightly. 

“There are some white strands in there,” he pointed out. Seungyoun was surprised that Hangyul had figured it out that easily. Most people thought it was random or a certain colour preference. And Seungyoun never corrected them. 

“How did you know?” he asked. Hangyul shrugged. 

“Seemed kinda obvious,” he shyly stated. “I just noticed how the colours that appeared were similar in similar situations. They always have green in them when you’re happy and laughing and when you’re teasing someone you usually get yellow strands in there. There’s also this dark blue when you’re deep in thought, especially in the library. And whenever you find something cute, like Dohyonnie or one of the kids, there is light blue. And a dark pink when you’re embarrassed. And the white just now - I guess it’s like surprise? Shock? Like a more visualised version of blanching?” 

Hangyul had started speaking faster at some point, going into a ramble but he abruptly cut himself off. It seemed like he was embarrassed for apparently being so aware of the elder. Seungyoun smiled fondly as the younger who was looking down again had a light blush on his neck. 

“You’re right,” he said and leaned back against the headboard. “Completely right. Just one aspect you couldn’t know.”

Hangyul looked up curiously. 

“The darker some colours get, the more intense they are. Partially bad, partially good. Not all of them. But some,” he explained. 

“So like, the light yellow when you’re teasing is mirth?” the younger asked. “And when you get really happy it turns into green?” Seungyoun nodded. “And if you really enjoy teasing someone it turns bright yellow instead?” He nodded again. 

“Makes sense,” Hangyul muttered. “And I guess the light blue is like adoration? Because you have it with the younger ones. But dark blue turns to contemplation?” 

Seungyoun was impressed - Hangyul really was perceptive. “How did you come to that conclusion?” he asked.

“Well,” the younger started, “When you’re feeling fondness you concentrate on the person to an extent. But it’s laced with other emotions, so it would be lighter I guess? And when you concentrate really hard, the direct focus changes and it turns to a darker blue?” 

Seungyoun nodded, lips forming a small ‘oh’. He hadn’t thought about it like this. 

“There’s just one colour I’m not completely sure about. On how to place them I mean.” Hangyul continued and Seungyoun swallowed apprehensively. 

“So when your hair gets dark pink you are embarrassed?” he asked.

“Yep. ” So far so good.

“And when your nervous and flustered it would turn into pink?” Here it came. The part Seungyoun was dreading. 

“Yeah, pretty much,” he said slowly. “It is connected to…” he swallowed. “To attraction, though. Romantic attraction.”

Silence.

“Your hair turns pink around me a lot,” Hangyul pointed out quietly. There it was.

“It does,” Seungyoun replied. The silence surrounded them again, this time longer and thicker. It was almost as if he could scoop the tension out of the air. And he wasn’t sure if he liked it this time. But he had known he couldn’t avoid this forever. 

“Is that a problem for you?” he dared to ask after a few minutes of silence. It had felt like hours, but Seungyoun still had taken the whole time to gather the courage for that question. Now he was almost dreading the answer. Seconds ticked by, slowly. When Hangyul opened his mouth to answer, Seungyoun tensed in apprehension. 

“No, it actually made it easier to figure you out. And if my feelings were reciprocated.” 

What? He hadn’t expected this answer. And his brain was seriously struggling on comprehending everything. So Hangyul had figured him out? And he had just asked to be sure he was right? And to know if his feelings were…

Seungyoun very slowly turned his head towards the younger. He was still petting Lafayette. A soft smile played over his lips and a deep blush adorned his cheeks. Seungyoun carefully reached over for Hangyul’s hand and stopped shortly before it. His eyes scanned the other’s face again before he interlaced their fingers. His hands felt warm against Seungyoun’s cold ones. He liked the feeling. 

“So…,” he started out, unsure how to continue from here. Hangyul looked up at him.

“I guess we’re…” he too left his sentence unfinished.

“Mmmh.” Silence surrounded them again. Seungyoun scraped the last bits of courage he could find up and took a deep breath. Hangyul was still looking up at him. 

“Hey, do you wanna…” His courage left him before he could finish. 

“What?” the younger asked shyly. Seungyoun looked at him for a moment and gave himself a stern talking to. This was still Hangyul, the person he was closest to. And there was no need for awkwardness. He grinned. 

“Wanna go to the Gryffindor tower, play exploding snap with Jinhyuk and annoy the shit out of Kookheon?” 

The question was out before he could think about it but the grin he received answered all his questions. 

“Oh hell yeah,” Hangyul said with mirth in his voice. The awkwardness was gone. Nothing had to change between them, at least not suddenly. Seungyoun swung his legs over the edge of his bed and pushed himself up while Hangyul softly coaxed Lafayette to crawl into his sleeve. Seungyoun rounded the bed and waited for the other boy, stretching out a hand to pull him up. 

They ended up very close, but Seungyoun pushed any nervousness that tried to crawl up back down. This _ was _ Hangyul after all. He laced their fingers together again and turned towards the door. 

“Let’s go,” he said.

.oO°Oo.

When Dohyon had finished recounting their first encounter and cleared up the misunderstanding of a certain snake in Seungyoun’s pants, Seungyoun was grinning. He was sure his hair had some pink streaks - it had not been his proudest moment after all - but it was amusing nonetheless. Hangyul chuckled in his armchair and the three boys were practically rolling with laughter by now. Dohyon looked rather smug. He had known what his hyungs had been up to - the ambiguity of their conversation had definitely been deliberate but he was used to their antics after all. 

Seungyoun looked up at the younger boy he considered a little brother: he was remarkable. For his intelligence, wittiness, patience and overall friendliness - even though he was shy and a bit rough around the edges. Dohyon had a lot on his plate. Seungyoun recalled the date and marked down that in just two weeks it was his time again. He sighed slightly and pushed himself up into a sitting position. 

“Well, I think I’m gonna head off now,” he proclaimed and searched Hangyul’s eyes. “You coming with me or staying here a little longer?” 

Hangyul glanced at the clock - it wasn’t too late and it was a Saturday but that meant the dorm rooms were empty. They would have some privacy, some time to themselves. Living in a dorm with others proved to create a certain lack of privacy at times and they both didn’t like to get couply around people. Hangyul glanced back at Seungyoun. 

“I’m coming with you,” he said. No further explanation, no justification. Only Minhee raised an eyebrow but one look at Dohyon’s fond smile told him that this was about something else. Seungyoun chuckled a bit: it was way too easy to mislead them in certain directions. He grabbed the outstretched hand Hangyul offered him and got up. 

“Alright kids, don’t stay up to late,” he said to the rest of the boys before he turned to Hangyul. “Off we go.” 

They went towards their corridor and unanimously decided on Seungyoun’s dorm room: his roommates were used to Hangyul being there because of Lafayette and it had somehow become a habit of sorts. Seungyoun opened the door and let Hangyul walk past him before he followed. The younger let himself fall onto Seungyoun’s bed after taking off his shoes at the door and laid on his stomach. 

Seungyoun followed him, nudging the other to scoot over before he joined him in the same position. They stayed like this for a bit until Hangyul’s sleeve twitched and he pushed himself up on his elbows carefully. Lafayette slithered out and made himself comfortable on the pillow, head bopping up and down before he came over to inspect Seungyoun’s face that was smushed into the pillow. He closed his eyes and felt the python softly nudge against his skin, exploring. 

Seungyoun opened his eyes after a while to see Hangyul gently stroking the long serpent body of his pet with a fond expression, only the soft light from the gaslamp on the nightstand that had lit up at their entrance illuminating his features. He looked younger like this and with an almost angelic touch. Seungyoun loved that he was one of the few people who saw that side of Hangyul. His gentle nature reflected on his face and with no walls around him. 

Seungyoun had to think back to another moment when he had seen Hangyul like this. It had been shortly after their (involuntary) confession, when they had returned from Quidditch practice - late as so often. The sky had already been dark and completely clear with freezing air. They had marveled at the stars until they had both been unable to feel their fingers and called it a night, making their way back to the castle.

As they had walked across the grass towards the entrance, Hangyul had still looked up at the sky with the same fond and gentle expression on his face. Seungyoun had felt utterly entranced by that expression, unable to take his eyes of the younger, his steps slowing. Hangyul had eventually turned to look at him, already a few steps ahead and had studied his features. 

“You look really handsome in the starlight,” he had commented offhandedly, still waiting for Seungyoun to catch up to him. The older had decided then and there that he had definitely fallen more deeply in love with this boy than he had previously been aware. Not because of the compliment, he had hardly noticed it. But because he could see each and every emotion on this boy that was usually guarded. Because he was allowed to see them and this thought had made his heart beat faster. 

With two quick long strides he had caught up to Hangyul, had gently cupped his face and studied his eyes for a moment before he leaned in. Only a short, sweet kiss, hardly more than a peck. But it had relayed everything he didn’t know how to say. He knew Hangyul had understood it. He knew from the way the younger had grabbed his hand when he stepped back, had smiled at him and continued their way to the common room.

When they entered the common room it had already been more or less empty but Dohyon had still been there, engrossed in his Arithmancy tasks. He had looked up at them with a raised eyebrow. 

“So you’re finally back,” he had said. “What were you doing?” 

“Nothing,” Hangyul had continued and let go of Seungyoun’s hand to step towards the younger boy. He had leaned over his homework with an arm around Dohyon’s shoulders to study what he was doing. “Just training.” 

Dohyon had nodded at that and had looked at Seungyoun as he had approached them. The older had noticed that with the way Hangyul had sought out physical contact with Dohyon he wanted to talk to him. Probably tell him what was going on. Seungyoun had been pretty sure the youngest had already caught on to their blossoming relationship but he still deserved an open conversation on it. And he had known Hangyul wanted to do this on his own. 

So he had just stepped forward, ruffled Dohyon’s hair and ran a hand over Hangyul’s cheek softly. The younger had looked into his eyes, nodding slightly - he would come to speak to Seungyoun later. Seungyoun had left them to it and had only looked up from his book when Hangyul slipped into his dorm later. He had cast a spell to muffle their conversation and the younger had told him about his talk to Dohyon. Seungyoun had been right: Dohyon had guessed as much, but still demanded a stern talk to Seungyoun like a protective brother. 

Seungyoun chuckled at the memory. He had tried to take Dohyon serious but it had been like a cute angry marshmallow threatening him before he ended with a hug, mumbling something about ‘you two finally getting your shit together’. Hangyul looked at him questioningly, his fingers stilling on Lafayette’s head.

“Just thinking about Dohyon giving me the shovel talk back then,” he explained and Hangyul chortled. “And how beautiful you look like this.” 

The older couldn’t help but add the last part. Hangyul flushed in the soft lamp light but his eyes stayed on Seungyoun’s before they went to his hair. He stretched out a hand and ran it through the soft strands. Seungyoun almost purred at the feeling. 

“There it is again,” Hangyul whispered with a glowing smile. “Lime green.” 

Seungyoun returned his smile. Lime green was one of the two colours only Hangyul had ever seen. Lime green, for him, represented the deepest affections he could hold for a person. The love he felt for only this one person. The colour representing Hangyul. It had never appeared before him and Seungyoun was sure that no one apart from him could make that colour reappear. It was symbolic for Hangyul only. So whenever it appeared, the younger was the only one who could coax it into being. 

The other colour was dark burgundy. Seungyoun blushed at the thought. That colour was a whole different story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooooo Seungyul have finally made an appearance. How did you like it? Feel free to talk to us in the comments or on our twitter (@chaos_kisses)!


	13. A wall of sparks and glitter can have consequences

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, we're sticking to a schedule, how long will that last??  
But it's a shorter one this time. Enjoy!

Wooseok wasn’t entirely sure how he got roped into it this time. Or into what. But what he was terribly aware of was the fact that he was running down a corridor in the dungeons and a person clasping his wrist and pulling him along. A person going by the name of Lee Jinhyuk. 

Wooseok had just been minding his own business, on his way to the Hufflepuff common rooms with a short detour to help a lost Slytherin first year find his common room again (he had stumbled into a secret passageway and lost all sense of direction when he came out of it). Happily humming to himself, he had carried on his way when loud banging noises behind him had him stumble in shock.

He struggled towards the wall to catch himself and turned around, heart beating wildly in his chest. Behind him, at the far end of the corridor, mayhem was going on: Loud bangs resounded in quick succession, glittering lights rained from the ceiling, bounced off the walls and danced over the floor. Sparks from what was undoubtedly fireworks sizzled around in the most outlandish shapes, reforming over and over again. Creatures made from sparks and lights came dancing down the corridor, followed by even more explosion. 

It was like a wall of fire and chaos that crept up at Wooseok but he couldn’t help but stare. As anarchic as it seemed, there was a certain beauty to the raging firework in front of the Ravenclaw. The colours, instead of mixing together in ghastly combinations, seemed to go through the colours of the rainbow in an orderly fashion, with specks of silver and gold coming into the mix. The movement of the fireworks followed a spiral pattern and effectively prevented the shapes and sparkly creatures crashing into each other. 

It was like a kaleidoscope of colours and shapes, changing in the blink of an eye but still regaining its tumultuous nature and chaotic beauty. Wooseok was frozen in awe as the corridor slowly filled with more shapes, more colours, more explosions. His eyes were wide open, the sparkling lights danced off his glasses and illuminated his face. Colours flashed over his skin, lit up his features and painted him like a canvas. The whole corridor became filled with lights. 

Suddenly, a body broke through the sparkles and sprinted down the corridor, heading for Wooseok. It was like a bucket of ice cold water had been emptied above him and Wooseok snapped out of his stupor. He knew this lanky creature with long limbs, a slim built and annoyingly expressive eyes in an even more annoyingly handsome face. Focus, Wooseok! 

“LEE JINHYUK!” an enraged voice screamed down the corridor and Wooseok flinched. He knew this voice. This was Professor Ong and he sounded pissed. 

“What the everloving fuck…,” he started mumbling when Jinhyuk reached him. And promptly went to grab his wrist, stopping for only a second. A broad grin lit up his face, his eyes sparkled and the colours that still filled the hallway were making him look both ethereal and manic. 

“Run!” he called and took off again, not giving Wooseok a chance to reply. Instead, the smaller was dragged after him, struggling from the sudden movement and trying to keep up with Jinhyuk’s long legs. Wooseok cursed inwardly as he tried to breathe and run at the same time without losing either his mind or his glasses. 

“The best part hasn’t caught up to us yet,” Jinhyuk panted out, “but I don’t want to be caught up in it!” 

He let out a bellowing laugh and, honest to god, skipped with Wooseok still trailing after him. The headboy was getting increasingly worried. What exactly did Jinhyuk unleash there if he was running from it too? 

They continued down the corridor, turned a corner with Jinhyuk skidding around it so fast Wooseok almost went flying and sprinted down the next corridor until Jinhyuk looked over his shoulder for a moment. 

“Oh shit,” he panted, eyes widening. Wooseok looked over his own shoulder and felt dread pool in his stomach. The firework was getting closer, spreading through all adjoining corridors and quickly catching up. It was only a few steps behind Wooseok. 

Just as he looked back at the Gryffindor in front of him, Jinhyuk slowed down and ripped open a door. The sudden stop had Wooseok run into him at full speed and he could hear Jinhyuk wheeze from the impact, but the taller just threw his arms around Wooseok, pulled him into the room, turned around and slammed the door shut. 

And not a second too late. The banging of the firework rushed past, sparks flying in through the gaps between the door and the adjoining floor and walls. Sparks flew around them, light shone through, streaming through the cracks together with….

“Glitter?” Wooseok asked disbelievingly and looked around. A surprisingly large amount of glitter had come into the room through the gaps. Silver glitter, almost powder. Wooseok knew it would stick to anything it touched like it was glued to it - someone once had thrown this stuff around after Ravenclaw had won the house cup and he had taken over a week to get all of the glitter off himself - so he tried not to move too much and avoid maybe creating wind to make it fly up. 

“Now you know why I wanted us out of there,” Jinhyuk said grinning. “I combined several glitter bombs with Weasley’s magical firework and added some extra blast from muggle firecrackers. It really worked well!”

Wooseok stared up at him, dumbfounded, as the other continued rambling about the ingredients of this specific fiery chaos cocktail. 

“Are you insane?” he hissed. Jinhyuk threw him a disarming smile. 

“Don’t worry, it was in no way hurtful. You saw how I ran through it, right?” he tried to calm the other down. Wooseok nodded slowly, his eyes narrowed. 

“I only hexed the glitter. This stuff is gonna be a bitch to get off,” he continued with a lopsided grin. Wooseok’s eyes widened - this was both brilliant and annoying. 

“And I think,” Jinhyuk added after a moment, “I might have gotten Professor Ong caught in the glitter bomb.” 

He grinned unapologetically. This was not good, Wooseok decided and was about to launch into a rant on responsibility and behaviour when a loud voice sounded outside. 

“LEE JINHYUK!” 

This was definitely Professor Ong and he sounded not happy. More like he was about to go into Banshee mode and ready to rip a certain Gryffindor’s head off. Jinhyuk’s eyes widened with panic and he looked down at Wooseok just to slap a hand over his mouth to prevent him from speaking. Anxiously he listened for footsteps. 

While Jinhyuk was distracted, Wooseok suddenly became aware of their position. He was standing with his back against the door with Jinhyuk’s left arm still around his waist and his right hand over his mouth. In an attempt to hear more the taller had leaned forward to press his ear against the door and was pressing Wooseok into the wood behind him. Their bodies were flush against each other and he could feel the heat radiating from the other’s body. 

Wooseok’s hands had flown up when he had crashed into Jinhyuk and even now his palms were still resting against the Gryffindor’s chest. He could feel his heart beat under his touch, quickly, from their running and the excitement. He wondered if Jinhyuk could feel his heart too. It was still hammering in his chest after all. 

Jinhyuk took a deep breath, his chest moving against Wooseok’s hands and a wave of his smell hit the smaller Ravenclaw. He smelled nice, he noticed. Something slightly citrusy with another aroma he couldn’t quite place…. Wooseok mentally slapped himself. What was he thinking about? This was neither a time for figuring out smells nor should he even think about what Jinhyuk smelled like. 

The footsteps sounded again, further away this time. Professor Ong must have decided to look for them the other way down. Both boys released a sigh and Jinhyuk dropped the hand he had still clasped over Wooseok’s mouth to lay his forearm against the door and rest his head on it. Wooseok looked up and promptly froze. 

He had not expected the other’s face to be that close. They were maybe an inch apart and he could feel the older’s breath fanning over his face. Jinhyuk had his eyes closed, lips slightly parted, an expression of relief painted on his face. Tousled black hair fell over his forehead and he was still leaning against his arm on the door. Wooseok knew he must look like a fish: eyes impossibly wide, mouth agape and somewhat disheveled from their run-in and being pressed and held against a door. His glasses had slid down to the tip of his nose. 

He closed his mouth and gulped. From up close he really had to admit that the other was handsome. His features were clean-clut, with a defined bone structure and a beautiful skin tone. His lips were rather thin but still nicely curved. Wooseok’s eyes lingered on them for a bit before he looked up again and flinched. 

Jinhyuk had opened his eyes and was looking at him, his expressive eyes like dark pools in the dim light of the room they had stumbled into. It felt like a grip holding Wooseok, hindering him from looking away. He tensed up. Jinhyuk had seen him staring at his lips. What did he think that meant? What did it mean? 

Insecurity rushed through him and he could feel his heart speeding up. A slight tremor snuck into his hands from nervousness and he subconsciously gripped what was under his fingers. They curled into a thin fabric - Jinhyuk’s shirt. Wooseok had forgotten that his hands were still on the older’s chest and shrunk in on himself a bit, his grip tightening. 

As he did so, he forgot about one thing. With his grip he was pulling Jinhyuk closer. His breath caught in his throat as he realised it and Jinhyuk’s face had inched even closer than it had before. His eyes were flitting back and forth between Wooseok’s and suddenly dropped down to his lips for a second before they shot back up. 

Something seemed to glint in his dark eyes. Suddenly he became even more aware of how the older loomed over him. Wooseok felt tiny in his grip but it wasn’t threatening. More assuring. Secure. Safe. Warm. 

As if he could read his thoughts Jinhyuk’s hand tightened around his waist, bringing them another centimetre closer. Wooseok tensed for a moment before he focused back on the eyes still staring at him. He didn’t know what to do, didn’t know how to react to this. His heart was still beating against his ribcage violently and he was sure Jinhyuk could feel it, just as Wooseok felt his heart hammering against his hands that were still tightly gripping onto his shirt. 

His knees felt a bit weak and he was sure that part of the reason he was still standing was Jinhyuk’s hand on his waist. Wooseok couldn’t see it, but with the way it splayed out over the small of his back and the curve of his waist, Jinhyuk’s hand seemed impossibly large. 

Suddenly the older moved. Very slowly, very carefully. He pulled his arm from under his head and let it slide down the door, his face staying as close as it had been before. His hand slowly moved towards Wooseok’s face, hesitant with his fingers splayed out. As they brushed against the side of the younger’s face, his eyes fluttered shut involuntarily at the touch and he had to use every ounce of willpower to not lean into it. 

The touch disappeared from his cheek but Wooseok kept his eyes shut. He didn’t know what to expect when he opened them. Was Jinhyuk still as close? Was his hand still hovering against his face? What should he do?

A new sensation had Wooseok shudder. The touch had returned, gentle fingertips running along his jaw in an almost unnoticeable touch before they disappeared again. Then, a finger was pushing up his glasses that had slipped down earlier to the tip of his nose. Time seemed to slow down and every millimeter of skin in contact with the pad of the finger and the bridge of his glasses seemed to have heightened sensitivity. The hand pushed his glasses up the highest point of his nose before the touch disappeared again. 

Wooseok slowly opened his eyes and looked up at Jinhyuk. The older was still staring at him but a softness had snuck into his gaze that hadn’t been there before. His hand was still hovering close to Wooseok’s face. He slowly let it sink lower, fingertips grazing the column of his neck softly, gently, almost reverently. Another shiver went through the younger and the hand came to rest on his shoulder. 

They stared at each, both lost in thought and each other, wrapped up in each other, drawn to each other. Wooseok wasn’t sure if he had ever been this close to another person for an extended amount of time, neither was he sure if he wanted to end this. The nervousness was still coursing through his veins but he felt safe and warm in Jinhyuk’s arms. 

Steps sounded in the corridor again and they both tensed up. The moment was broken. Jinhyuk slowly pulled his hand from Wooseok’s shoulder and the younger willed his hands to unclench. He gently smoothed over the wrinkles in Jinhyuk’s shirt front, a blush rising up on his cheeks. The older carefully pulled his hand away from his waist and took a step back. Wooseok immediately missed his warmth. 

“We should probably…” the older started quietly, his voice cracking in the middle. His ears were bright red and Wooseok nodded shyly. 

“Yeah,” he rasped out, his voice feeling strange. He took a deep breath and pushed himself away from the door he had been leaning against and turned around, grabbing the handle. Another deep breath and he pulled it open. 

He was greeted with the sight of Cho Seungyoun leaning against the wall opposite from the door. Wooseok sighed - just what he had needed. The Slytherin had started grinning as soon as he had recognised them, eyes flitting between Wooseok and Jinhyuk with bright yellow streaks already appearing in his hair. 

Wooseok decidedly looked away from him and focussed on the hallway. His mouth almost fell open: every wall, even the ceiling, was covered in silver glitter. It stretched down the corridor, glittering and sparkling brightly in the light of the torches. Jinhyuk had been right when he had said that he didn’t want to get caught in it. With the way Seungyoun was leaning against the glitter covered wall and not a speck on him, it must’ve been hexed in a way that made it stick to only the first surface it touched. Impressive. 

“Well, Wooseok, are you finally coming out of the closet?” a voiced brought him back to reality and a flush appeared on his cheeks. Trust Seungyoun to try and make him flustered.

“Sh-shut up!” Why did he have to stutter? Wooseok felt the nervousness reappear, strengthening when Jinhyuk stepped closer to him. He could feel the heat the other radiated against his back with how close he came. Seungyoun raised an eyebrow at him.

“Quite a mess, eh?” Jinhyuk said. Wooseok pulled himself together and snorted. 

“Deal with this mess yourself,” he stated, proud of his voice not faltering. “I’m going to the library to do...stuff.” 

Well, not his most elaborate moment but good enough. Without any further comment he marched off. He still felt like Jinhyuk’s intense eyes were still staring at his back and as he was about to round the corner, Seungyoun’s voice drifted over.

“I didn’t know your nickname was ‘stuff’, Jinnie.” 

Wooseok was confused for a second what Seungyoun was trying to say until he realised his pun. Heat crept up his neck and he was sure he had turned bright red by now. He rounded another corner and almost ran into Hangyul. Not sparing the younger a second glance, he hurried on. Change of plans, he decided. Not the library. 

His feet carried him towards the Hufflepuff common room and he knocked against the door, praying Seungwoo was there. A girl opened and looked at him a bit confused. He must be quite the sight: Flushed, out of breath, disheveled, a general mess. He decided to ignore it for the moment. 

“Is Han Seungwoo in?” he asked with a small smile. The girl told him to wait and went into the common room again, reappearing a moment. She nodded and motioned for Wooseok to come in. He thanked her and stepped into the familiar room. 

Upon his entry two people huddled together on a sofa flinched. Donghyun was leaning with his back against the armrest of a sofa, legs thrown over Yunseong's lap. Their heads had been close together as they looked at something in Donghyun's lap which was never a good sign with GoldenChemi.

"Whatever it is, it wasn't us this time!" Donghyun already called as Wooseok strode through the room. A frantically nodding Yunseong tried to emphasize the statement. 

Wooseok waved them off and they sighed in relief. He wasn't here for them after all. And aside from their prankster attitude, they were nice boys. He wouldn't just bother them over nothing or without solid proof of their mischief. 

Seungwoo was in a corner, seated on a loveseat with a book. Wooseok hurriedly approached him, stopping abruptly in front of the sofa. Seungwoo looked up in surprise, a gentle smile appearing on his features as he recognised his friend. Wooseok was lost at this point. Too much confusion. His lower lip started to quiver. 

Seungwoo immediately noticed and sat up straight, placing his book onto the small table next to the loveseat. He moved his legs down and reached up to pull Wooseok gently down onto the plush cushioning, soothingly stroking his arm. 

“What’s the matter?” he asked. “What happened?”

Wooseok took a deep breath. He needed to calm down and work through this to get the confusion out of the way. 

“I’m a bit shaken,” he started slowly. Seungwoo nodded; that much was obvious. Wooseok tried to sort out his thoughts. 

"Maybe start at the beginning?" Seungwoo suggested. “What had brought you here to me, my child?”

His fake grandfather voice had Wooseok chuckle and he felt some of the tension bleed from him. This was Seungwoo, one of his closest and oldest friends. And even though he was friends with Jinhyuk too, Wooseok knew that he didn’t have to worry about Seungwoo blabbing to the other or judging Wooseok for anything regarding the Gryffindor. He took a deep breath and leant back into the sofa, facing Seungwoo. 

“Alright,” he started and Seungwoo nodded, looking like a curious Golden Retriever. “Did you hear the commotion in the corridors earlier?” he asked and the older nodded. 

“It sounded like explosions,” he supplied and Wooseok nodded. 

“Kinda,” he confirmed. “It was fireworks.”

He pushed up his glasses with a sigh. “Possibly dangerous fireworks made by Jinhyuk - he mixed magic firework with muggle firecrackers and glitter bombs - that he had go off in the dungeons.” 

Seungwoo chortled and cleared his throat at a sharp look from the younger. His smile stayed however. 

“That explains why some people came in looking like disco balls earlier,” he said in an attempt to remain serious but mirth was clear in his eyes. Wooseok relented and let a small smile appear on his face.

“Exactly,” he continued. “I was in the corridors at the time he set it off, so I saw it - it was admittedly beautiful and really impressive considering the magic that he must’ve put into it - and suddenly Jinhyuk came barrelling through it too and he just grabbed my wrist and ran off with me in tow.”

Seungwoo’s eyebrows went up ever so slightly but Wooseok had started to go into a ramble and didn’t even notice. 

“We just ran down a couple of corridors and then he dragged me into a broom cabinet - at least I think it was one, it was dark in there - and we were almost caught by Professor Ong and he was holding me against the door and we were really close and…” 

Wooseok was at a loss how to continue and took a deep breath, gesturing vaguely. Seungwoo slightly turned his head as if to urge him to continue, still processing the ramblings. Wooseok spoke on, quieter this times, his eyes fixed on his hands. 

“We were really close and I pulled him closer - accidentally! I had grabbed his shirt and our faces were just so close and then he… he…” 

He was unsure how to say that last part. It sounded weird, even in his head. Seungwoo leaned forward with both curiosity and something that looked strangely like exhilaration to Wooseok. 

“He?” Seungwoo dragged out the pronoun. “He - what did he do?” 

Wooseok felt a blush creep onto his features and turned his head away. Seungwoo gasped. 

“Did he kiss you?” his friend asked excitedly. “Damn, that’s more courage than I expected from him…”

Wooseok pointedly ignored the last part of Seungwoo’s muttering in favour of the utter disbelief that rushed through him at the suggestion the older had made. 

“He… what?” he stuttered. “No! Of course not! Why would he do that?” 

Seungwoo sent him an indecipherable look before he leaned back against the cushions of the loveseat again. 

“Fine, he didn’t kiss you then,” he said. Wooseok frowned. 

“Why do you sound so disappointed all of a sudden?” he asked with a hint of suspicion but Seungwoo waved it off. 

“What did he do then?” he asked again. “Anything I need to discipline him for?” 

Wooseok snorted. Seungwoo could hardly get intimidating, especially not at his friends. He could get serious, sure, but one pair of puppy eyes could make any resolve, he built up before, come crumbling down. 

“Okay, promise me not to laugh?” he asked and Seungwoo nodded impatiently. Wooseok was sure that if the other had a tail, it would be twitching or wagging in excitement by now. 

“He…” he started, “he pushed up my glasses.” 

Silence. Wooseok dared to look up. Seungwoo looked frozen, still processing his words. 

“He pushed up your glasses?” the older asked. Wooseok nodded.

“Yup.”

“Nothing else?” Again, he nodded. Seungwoo closed his eyes for a second and pinched the bridge of his nose, unsuccessfully trying to supress the amusement blooming on his face. 

“So let me summarize,” he said with a calm voice. “You got roped into a prank, dragged into a supply cabinet with Jinhyuk, held against a door with not much space between you two, you - accidentally - pulled him closer and he pushed up your glasses.” Seungwoo counted on his fingers. “Am I forgetting anything?” 

Wooseok winced - it really sounded a bit silly. 

“Well,” he added. “Seungyoun saw us when we came out of the cabinet and made some jokes.” 

Seungwoo chuckled. “What kind of jokes?” 

“Something about coming out of the closet” - a light chuckle from Seungwoo- “when I said I’d go to the library to do stuff, he said to Jinhyuk that he didn’t know his nickname was ‘stuff’.” 

Seungwoo started laughing out loud at that, mirth openly on his features and a tear appearing in the corner of his eyes. 

“I really have to give Seungyoun credit for this one then,” he said, still chuckling. Wooseok felt himself smile. Seungwoo took a few deep breaths to calm himself down before he looked back up at Wooseok. He still had a smiley expression but his voices sounded somewhat serious.

“Let me ask you just one question then,” he started and Wooseok looked at him anxiously, unsure of what was to come. “When you were in this broom cabinet with Jinhyuk, did you feel uncomfortable in there? And what I mean with that is: did it feel scary to you, like you wanted to get out but couldn’t?” 

Wooseok almost immediately shook his head. While he had felt nervous and somewhat uncomfortable, he knew what the older was hinting at. But he knew that at no point he had been actually scared or had thought that Jinhyuk wouldn’t have let him go. 

“No,” he said clearly. “There was no such...danger.” 

Seungwoo nodded with relief on his features. 

“I’m not asking because I would think Jinhyuk would be capable of that but you never know how a person might react when they are with their back against a wall.” Wooseok nodded again. The older was right after all. Seungwoo’s features relaxed and he leaned forward, this time with a shit-eating grin plastered onto his lips. 

“Then my conclusion for you is: you panicked because Jinhyuk was that close and you weren’t sure how to react because you actually didn’t dislike it, right?” 

Wooseok flushed at those words. Was Seungwoo hinting at the possibility of him being attracted to Jinhyuk? His eyes searched the older’s face for an answer but was met with an entirely too self-satisfied smile. He didn’t like Jinhyuk! At least not like this. 

“I’m not quite sure what you’re trying to tell me,” he tried to weasel his way out, but Seungwoo’s unconvinced expression hindered his success, “but I admit that I have gotten a bit closer with Jinhyuk, I guess.” 

This seemed to be news to Seungwoo and he raised his eyebrows in question. Wooseok sighed. 

“We had a longer talk when we both ended up in detention,” he explained, “and I figured out that he isn’t a bad person - he’s really nice actually. Chaotic but nice.” 

Seungwoo nodded encouragingly. 

“And we started seeing each other in the library on occasion and he sometimes joined me for a cup of tea in the Great Hall,” he quietly admitted. Seungwoo seemed surprised and a small fond smile snuck onto his lips. 

“So you started getting along with him?” he concluded and Wooseok nodded shyly. 

“But we’re only friends, nothing more from either side!” he quickly added, waving his hands around and Seungwoo just deflated and leaned back against the sofa. 

“I didn’t sign up to deal with that much headassery and thick-skulled stubbornness when I got here,” he mumbled in defeat. 

.oO°Oo.

“Shit, shit, shit,” Minhee muttered as he sprinted through the corridors towards the library. He was late to his tutoring session and time was still ticking by. He frantically scrambled for balance as he rounded a corner and almost crashed into Professor Kang, who jumped out of the way with a loud ‘woah’. 

Minhee just threw back a quick ‘sorry’ and continued sprinting down the corridor, seeing the library doors already. He started slowing down a bit and stopped in front of the door, hands on his knees and trying to catch his breath. He was almost 20 minutes late by now, so he straightened up and stepped forward to grab the handle of the door and opened it. Quietly slipping through it and pulling it shut behind him, he nodded at the librarian before he looked around. He knew where he would find the person he was looking for, so he headed off to that secluded corner he had spent almost an hour searching for the first time he had tried to find Jungmo. 

Contrary to what he had claimed, their meeting hadn’t been a coincidence. The only coincidence was that Jungmo had still been in his spot when Minhee had eventually arrived. He had felt bad after snapping at the other and decided to apologize but he couldn’t remember the name of the older boy. So he had crawled to Junho, hoping to get some (non-judgmental) help from his friend and after succeeding had set out on his quest to find Jungmo. 

He had been close to giving up when he had passed the bookshelf again and noticed how far from the wall it stood, weirdly positioned. Relief had flooded him when he had seen the older boy behind it, almost immediately replaced by something akin to awe when he had noticed the golden light of the setting sun casting it's rays over the Ravenclaw. It had taken him a few moments to catch himself and knock on the shelf to make his presence known. 

Just like now, he had stood at that same shelf, and just like back then the older was already sitting at the table. The only difference now was that two chairs were at the table - and the fact that Minhee was supposed to have been here 20 minutes ago. Minhee suppressed a sigh as guilt flooded him again. 

He hadn’t intended to be late, he felt guilty enough to steal as much of Jungmo’s time as it was already. To be truthful, Minhee’s grades weren't the best. He was getting through his subjects and assignments and he did study with a lot of effort. But it did not pay off. Too often he just couldn’t grasp the core of the material, couldn’t remember it or just did not understand it. After a while he didn’t want to bother his friends with it anymore and studied on his own. 

By now, with his fifth year and approaching O.W.L.s, Professor Kim Chungha had decided to offer him a support system. It was called the Buddies system where an older student who was already familiar with the material would guide him through it and help with understanding. It was neither a punishment nor obligatory - Minhee would not get in trouble for not asking for help or not arranging meetings with his study buddy. 

And he probably wouldn’t have done it, had it not been for the sweet smile Jungmo had thrown him when Professor Kim had called him in to introduce them. The older, apparently, was one of her best students and she thought that his way of explaining and approach to a topic might benefit the younger boy. He had thanked her politely and had been sent off to the library with Jungmo where they had made their way to in rather awkward silence. 

Jungmo had suggested to settle into his favourite corner as it wouldn’t be a disturbance to anyone if they discussed there and Minhee had just nodded in agreement. The silence had remained between them as they settled down and took out their notes and writing utensils. Until Minhee had broken the silence with a smile. 

“I don’t want to sound ungrateful,” he had carefully started out and Jungo had put down his lecture notes and turned to give him his undivided attention. “I really appreciate you being willing to tutor me but…” 

Minhee hadn’t been quite sure how to continue and fallen into silence again. But Jungmo just waited for him to finish. He tried again. 

“But I think…” he had continued slowly, “that I should do this on my own. It’s not that I doubt you or anything, not at all!” 

A slight panic had snuck into his voice and he had looked at the older with apprehension, worried to have sounded insulting. But Jungmo had just looked at him patiently without any sign of offense.

“I need to get this into my head and you have enough to do, so I wouldn’t want to steal more of your time with N.E.W.T.s and everything and I wouldn’t even know where to start, so I…”

Again, he hadn’t known how to finish and had turned his eyes back to his lap, his hands clenching and unclenching as he fiddled with his fingers. A hand had fallen onto his shoulder.

“Hey, no hard feelings,” Jungmo had said. “I get where you’re coming from and it’s actually really nice you take all this into consideration.” 

Minhee had looked up at him and had seen that the older was smiling gently. The hand on his shoulder had squeezed lightly. 

“I appreciate the thought, but I wouldn’t have accepted Professor Kim’s request if I didn’t feel ready to do it, okay? So let me make you an offer.” Minhee’s curiosity had been awakened at that. 

“You don’t have to come for tutoring if you don’t want to. You don’t have to do any of this if you don’t want to. But we could meet here to study if you want to. Individually, i mean. I learn quietly, the Professor told me you are the same and this is a nice and quiet corner. I don’t mind sharing and if a question ever comes up, you can ask me instead of feeling forced into listening to me lecturing you on everything. What do you think?”

Minhee sat with his mouth slightly open. He hadn’t expected the older to be that… accepting. That forthcoming. Jungmo had still been waiting for an answer, he had realised and had weighed his options. His consciousness had whispered to him to accept the offer - it wasn’t bad after all and he wouldn’t have to ask if he didn’t want to. So he had nodded. 

And so they had started studying, individually, side by side. Shortly before they had left, Jungmo had asked him if they wanted to choose a set time to meet up and Minhee had agreed easily. And so their afternoons had started to be spent together. It had taken him about a week of silence before he had cracked. Mulling over the same part of his homework for almost an hour, Jungmo had finished up his own and then asked if he could help with anything. And his explanation had actually made much more sense than anything Minhee had read before. 

So they had kept this structure: studying together and after Jungmo finished, Minhee would ask him questions. He had never dared to disturb the other boy, hesitant to be that forward, and had waited and occupied himself with other materials. 

And so here he was today, fashionably late 25 minutes by now. He swallowed. Jungmo wouldn’t be mad but Minhee still felt guilty. Because he knew the other waited for him and he did not want to seem ungrateful. 

“Sorry I’m late, I got lost,” he eventually said and stepped out behind the shelf, quickly walking to the table and sitting down. Jungmo hadn't looked up yet.

"Lost?" he asked with his eyes fixed in the word he was writing. His voice was filled with amused disbelief.

"Yep," Minhee replied. "Lost in these pretty eyes of yours." 

The older looked up at him with an absolutely flabbergasted expression, mouth agape and eyes wide open. Minhee snorted.

"Don't tell me that got to you?" he asked. “ I didn't actually get lost, I'm sorry I'm late. I mean at first it was because I overslept a bit with my nap after class - I was seriously wiped out - but then I jumped up as fast as possible but when I got into the corridors in the dungeons I walked into a wall of fireworks - a prank probably - and I was hit by a massive wave of magical glitter that just stuck to me and so I ran back to the tower because I looked like mixture of a weird armour and Edward Cullen and then I was already so late but I ran here and I’m really sorry.” 

He cut off his rambling and hesitantly glanced at Jungmo. Minhee winced - he knew the story sounded crazy. 

“Really, hyung!” he insisted. “This is what happened, I still have glitter on me if you look closely…”

“I believe you,” Jungmo cut him off softly. “I’m just a bit... shocked?” 

The question was weird. Minhee practically vibrated in his seat. 

“Really, I didn’t want to be late. I just didn’t want to show up here covered in glitter and I really needed a nap after class, so please forgive me?” 

Jungmo chuckled, somewhat disbelievingly. Minhee’s heart sunk: had he angered the other that much?

“I’m not mad at you,” Jungmo said gently, “but Minhee, haven’t you noticed?” 

Minhee frowned. What was Jungmo talking about?

“Minhee,” Jungmo tried again, “your hair. It’s…”

Minhee reached up and groaned. 

“Is it still glittery? I thought I got it all out!” he whined but Jungmo just chortled. 

“No, it’s not glittery. It’s white,” he said. Minhee froze.

“Wait,” Jungmo said and grabbed a small notebook before tapping it with his wand. The binding turned into a mirror and he handed it to Minhee who held it up. 

His hair really was white. An extremely light blonde, to be exact, but almost white in the light. He gaped and tried to recall how this could’ve hapened. After the glitter disaster he had run back, changed, and asked Hyeob to help him with the glitter in his hair. He had luckily protected his face from the blast, so he didn’t have to scrub off his skin at least, but his head had been silver and it was clearly visible in his black hair. 

His friend had agreed and distractedly waved his wand at him before he had taken a double take. Apparently the charm hadn’t taken effect but he insisted he knew another that was as effective and sucked everything away and left everything perfectly clean. Minhee had just nodded as he was grabbing for his other pair of robes and bag again. Hyeob had muttered the spell and taken a quick step back before he had sent him off. 

Looking back at it now, he had been a bit pale. The spell must’ve ‘cleaned’ his hair too well. He lowered the notebook with the mirror and handed it back to Jungmo with a nod. 

“Well, I guess I’ll have to deal with it then,” he said with a shrug. “It’s just hair after all. I can always get it died by one of the hyungs or on the next trip to Hogsmeade.” 

Jungmo smiled lopsidedly and tapped the notebook again, erasing the mirror surface. 

“I think it suits you. It looks nice,” he commented off-handedly and Minhee felt heat creep up his neck but a smug smile adorned his face. 

"You know what would look nice too?" he replied and leaned forward a bit. "You, on a date with me."

“And I think,” Jungmo continued as if he hadn't heard Minhee, leaning forward too to inspect his face and neck, “you still have some glitter stuck to you.” 

A hand softly touched a spot near his ear and then on his neck. 

“Yep, there and there and there. Only little bits though, so don’t worry.” Jungmo leaned back with a smile. 

“So now that you’re here, shall we get to work?” he asked and turned to his work. 

Minhee nodded dumbly. His face felt as if he resembled a tomato and his heart was threatening to beat out of his chest. He hadn’t expected Jungmo to come that close but he also hadn’t really _ minded _ it. He had almost felt regretful when the older had leaned back, had almost grabbed his arms to pull him back in again. 

Minhee shook his head and grabbed his notes from his bag. This was going to become interesting. And he was pretty much screwed. 

  
  
  
  



	14. Why is it always me who finds you?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go again with the nation's chaos duo! Let's see where it takes them this time ....

“I’ve got many fond memories of broom closets,” Seungyoun said with a smirk. Wooseok had already vanished around the corner but Jinhyuk was still staring after him. He looked a lot like a sad puppy but he snapped out of it at Seungyoun’s words.

“I don’t even wanna know, seriously,” he replied, shooting a slightly scared look in Seungyoun’s direction whose smirk grew only wider, bright yellow starting to streak into his hair. He saw his friend shudder at this, scared of what might be coming next. 

“I’m gonna go study too!” he said and started walking off after Wooseok hurriedly and Seungyoun bellowed out a laugh. Jinhyuk turned back around towards him with a questioning look in his eyes.

“You know, Jinnie…,” he started, still slightly giggling. “This is the direction towards the Hufflepuff common room. Wooseok probably went there to find Seungwoo.”

Jinhyuk’s eyes widened at that.

“I.. but… what? Why would he? I don’t…?” he stuttered out, sending Seungyoun into another fit of laughter, green starting to join the yellow. His friend was just too dense sometimes.

“Well, considering the colour of his face when he just passed me and how you are here, looking somewhat… disheveled,” a new voice interrupted them, “I’d wager a guess that he was flustered and needed to rant.”

Hangyul had come around the corner and was leaning against the wall with his signature smirk. His dark brown hair was swept back, away from his face, showing his eyes twinkling with mirth. Seungyoun sent him a beaming smile and was rewarded with a miniscule twitch in the corner of Hangyul’s lips. He was showing big emotions in public today. Seungyoun could feel his hair change again - if he had to guess, the green had probably changed to the colour of lime tree leaves. 

“Exactly my thoughts,” he replied to his boyfriend’s remark. “It was so obvious from when you came out of the closet together…”

“You did what now?” Hangyul asked with way too much mischief and amusement in his voice. Jinhyuk groaned.

“It’s not what you think! Nothing even happened! We just needed to get away…” he claimed loudly, gesturing. He started to regain the red colour his face had sported when he had left the closet earlier. 

“I have many fond memories of broom cabinets,” Hangyul said wistfully and Jinhyuk groaned again. Seungyoun snickered - leave it to his Hangyul to not only say the same things as him but with the same intention. They exchanged a look and started snickering louder. 

“I am so gonna push you in front of the train when we go home!” Jinhyuk said, before turning around and walking past Seungyoun in the opposite direction of Wooseok, huffing and puffing all the way. Seungyoun looked after him with a wide grin. For such a quick mouth and prankster, he was easy to tease with some leverage.

“Hey you,” a deep voice spoke close to his ear. He flinched slightly and turned his head around, coming face to face with Hangyul, only to start laughing. The other had been so close they had both gone cross-eyed. 

“Wow, I did not see that coming!” Seungyoun panted out, head against the wall. He felt a pinky finger link itself with him with Hangyul still laughing into his ear, his chin perched on his shoulder. He could feel the vibrations of the younger’s deep chuckle from where his chest was pressed against his arm. Seungyoun squeezed his pinky around the other’s a bit and pushed himself off the wall. 

“Let’s go to the common room for a while, we still have a lot of time till dinner.” Weekends were spent lazing around if they weren’t working or going to Hogsmeade. Hangyul nodded and they both started walking towards the Slytherin dungeons, finger still locked and shoulders bumping occasionally. 

Seungyoun had missed Hangyul. The other had been extremely busy all week with homework assignments piling up and he had met up with some other sixth years today to study for several upcoming tests. On closer inspection, Seungyoun could see the bags beneath the other’s eyes - a definite sign of how stressed Hangyul was. He himself wasn’t faring much better, N.E.W.T.s a whole year closer than for Hangyul and Seungyoun had just as many assignments waiting for him in his bag as he had finished today. There was so much to do.

When they reached the tapestry to the entrance and entered the common room, Hangyul let go of his finger and went straight towards one of the sofas. There were several scattered around low tables around the room, one of them occupied by Dohyon hunched over his homework close to the fireplace. Hangyul approached him and slumped over the younger boy, flattening him to the sofa in a mess of flailing limbs.

“Oooof.” He heard the air leaving Dohyon’s lungs at the older boy’s weight. “Hyung you’re squishing me! And Lafayette!” 

Hangyul practically flew off the younger boy, patting him down worriedly. 

“Where is he?” he asked. “Where is my baby? Is he alright?” 

Doohyun sighed and pushed his hand into his robe’s pocket to pull the python out. It lifted its head sleepily with its tail curling securely around Doohyun’s arm. Hangyul cooed and carefully grabbed the snake from him, lifting it to his face before opening his robe sleeves for it. Lafayette curled around his wrist and slid up his arm into the pocket sewn into Hangyul’s robe for him. He must have been craving warmth.

Seungyoun had reached the sofa opposite of Dohyon and flopped down unto it ungracefully, leaning back into the cushions with a sigh. 

“What are you up to?” he asked the younger boy. Dohyon sighed as Hangyul came over and fell onto the seat next to Seungyoun. Seungyoun lifted his arms to rest on the back of the sofa, effectively putting an arm somewhat around Hangyul, who scooted a bit closer and leaned his head against his upper arm.

Doohyun raised an eyebrow at them before looking down at his notes again. 

“Charms. I just get so confused by codependent spells and how they interact, I really don’t get it, there’s so much going on. And I have finished everything for Arithmancy, so I can’t put it off anymore….” The boy rubbed his face and glanced up at his hyungs with puppy eyes. Seungyoun suppressed a smile.

“Codependent magic actually isn’t that complicated,” Hangyul started. “You see, you just need to know the base of the spell casting, then you go via elemental configuration and target distribution before you start the movements.” 

“Yeah, right. I totally got that,” Dohyon deadpanned. “Completely clear now.” 

Hangyul sighed and Seungyoun giggled and leaned towards his ear. 

“You taught him that behaviour, Gyullie. And he knows how to use it.” Hangyul sighed and moved closer to Seungyoun’s warmth before he opened his mouth to start explaining in greater detail. 

“You two are cuddly today,” Dohyon interrupted him with a raised eyebrow and Seungyoun just smiled sheepishly. “And your hair is turning light blue again, hyung.”

“Yah!” Hangyul interjected. “If you want an explanation then listen!” His harsh words were countered by the small smile on his lips and the quick look towards Seungyoun.

“Alright so you know what a base spell is? Because you need the source magic to….” Seungyoun zoned out as Hangyul started his explanation. His brain had been stuffed with magical theory, history and other things all day and his boyfriend’s voice was way too calming for him to pay attention. 

Even though he was familiar with the magic they were talking about, Hangyul was a better teacher for Dohyon - they just understood each other on a different level. Seungyoun tended to go off topic or start off at a higher level of knowledge than his pupil had. He had once tried to tutor Dohyon in Charms and gotten the poor boy so confused that upon Hangyul entering the room, the younger had stood up and walked into the arms of his surrogate brother. 

It had been endearing how Hangyul didn’t hesitate to wrap his arms around Dohyon, who had clung to him like the overgrown puppy he was, but the utter confusion on his boyfriend’s face had been hilarious. Seungyoun had felt a bit bad to have confused Dohyon that much, but the display of affection was cute. Hangyul had gone over the material with the younger afterwards and had him understand it in under 10 minutes, where Seungyoun had needed one hour without any result.

Seungyoun let his gaze wander through the common room but it returned to Hangyul’s face quickly. After a short moment he leant forward to nuzzle his nose into the other’s neck and close his eyes. Hangyul didn’t push his face away - a sign that he himself was worn out and craving some contact. 

It was rare that Hangyul let him cuddle him like this or didn’t push him off after a while. He sighed and ravelled in the comfortable warmth as a certain supply cabinet from last June came to his mind.

.oO°Oo.

“How did you lose him again?” Seungyoun sighed as he followed Hangyul through the corridors hurriedly. “I mean he’s literally up your sleeve? Wouldn’t you notice?” 

Hangyul sighed and turned around in a full circle whilst still walking, arms stretched to the side.

“I know, I know! But he’s tiny and small and I was distracted in class while…” he stopped abruptly and Seungyoun almost ran into him. Hangyul whirled around and grabbed his shoulder, shaking him a bit.

“In class! I must have lost him there! I was distracted in class by Yohan and Byungchan making a mess that I must’ve missed him slipping away! Alright, I know where to go!” he called excitedly with his face moving closer and closer. He grabbed Seungyoun’s wrist and started pulling him along in a jog towards the stairs to the divination classroom on the 5th floor. Professor Lee Daehwi had complained about having to climb up to north tower all the time, so the classroom had been moved. 

Hangyul dashed up stairs and ran down corridors, never slowing down until the door of the classroom was in sight. He reached out his hand to push it open and… almost slammed into it. It was locked. Hangyul shook the handle and took a step back. 

“This is bad. Alohomora doesn’t work here to protect the utensils and we can’t sneak in through the windows.” He threw a panicked look at Seungyoun who patted his shoulder after freeing his wrist from Hangyul’s clutch. 

“Don’t worry, I got this.” He crouched down in front of the door and pulled out his wand. 

“Vivo revelio!” he mumbled and put his wand on the floor with the tip pointing towards the door, bright green bleeding into his roots. If there was life inside the room, it would glow and swivel into the direction of the living thing; if there was nothing, it would turn to the closest living thing around the room apart from the spellcaster. 

They both stared at the wand expectantly until it started glowing in a soft white light and started rocking from side to side, swivelling around to point away from the door and in between the two wizards towards the door of a supply cabinet. They jumped up and Seungyoun grabbed his wand following Hangyul to the supply cabinet. He opened the door quickly and raced into the surprisingly spacious room with a small window and shelves filled with cleaning supplies. 

Hangyul looked around and tried to look on the shelves in search of Lafayette when the door closed behind them with an echoing bang. They looked at each other in surprise and Seungyoun slowly stepped towards the door and pushed against the handle. It didn’t budge. He shook the handle but it stayed closed. He even tried opening via magic (Alohomora could open any uncharmed lock after all) but the lock remained in place. It was either locked with magic or he was too stupid to open a door. He turned around slowly, the green having been replaced by single white strands throughout his hair.

“Well… here we are,” He said in a dry tone, matching Hangyul’s deadpan expression. “Locked in a supply closet. Classy.” 

Hangyul snorted and turned around to look out of the window. 

“We’re too high up for anyone to hear us too. Guess we gotta hold out in here until someone comes,” he replied. 

Seungyoun sighed and leaned against the door. Hangyul continued looking around the room, calling out Lafayette’s name and looking under shelves but his search remained fruitless. He eventually sighed and got up, walking towards Seungyoun who was leaning against the wall left of the door. 

“He’s not here I guess,” he said dejectedly. “The wand must’ve pointed at a mouse or something in here.” 

Hangyul stood in front of Seungyoun with his eyes cast down before he lifted his head and looked at him. The older let his eyes wander over his features: There was a cobweb stuck to the hair near his temple and a small beam of sunlight fell into the room behind him. Dust particles were dancing around and created a halo around his head and upper body. 

Seungyoun was mesmerised, unable to tear his gaze from Hangyul. He looked beautiful like this, his hair swept to the side with his forehead, strong eyebrows and expressive eyes exposed. Seungyoun lifted a hand and combed it carefully through Hangyul’s hair, swiping away the cobweb before he trailed his fingers down the side of his face and along his jawline to his chin. 

The other shuddered slightly at his touch and leaned into it when Seungyoun opened his hand to cup the younger boy’s face. His thumb moved over his cheek, his defined cheekbones and down to his lips, sweeping over the lower lip. He felt Hangyul’s breath against his thumb and saw his chest moving up and down more quickly than before. He was sure his hair had taken on the lime green, it only showed with Hangyul - the colour displaying his love and affection for the boy.

The younger’s eyes closed for a second and his lips opened slightly, as he leaned further into Seungyoun’s touch before opening his eyes again to look up through his lashes. Seungyoun felt his heart hammer in his chest with nervousness and… something else. He studied Hangyul’s face for another moment before he leaned down the few centimetres separating them and connected their lips. 

It was sweet, slow and languid with no rush. Their lips moved with a practised ease against each other, once, twice, three times before they parted. Seungyoun opened his eyes to see Hangyul looking at him already, something unreadable in his gaze. His hands had found Seungyoun’s waist during their kiss and had been resting there in a relaxed manner.

“Lime green and light pink.” Hangyul murmured and studied his hair before looking down at his eyes again. He knew what the colours meant. He had always known their meaning, had understood Seungyoun’s whole nature.

A few heartbeats passed between them.

Hangyul’s grip tightened and he pulled Seungyoun closer by his waist, reconnecting their lips with more force, sliding his hand up his chest and behind his neck. Seungyoun let his eyes slip shut, moved the hand cupping Hangyul’s face further into his hair and wrapped his free arm around him until they were flush against each other. One of the younger’s hands went into Seungyoun’s hair to play with the black strands at the back of his head while the other grabbed the back of his neck.

He pulled him even closer down, tilting his head to the side and licked against the seam of Seungyoun’s lips. He opened them readily and buried his fingers in Hangyul’s hair. Their lips slid against each other and their tongues met; the wet slide of them made Seungyoun lose his previous restraint. He turned them around and pressed Hangyul against the door, the old wood not even moving one bit at the impact; the pink started to get darker, slowly pushing away the green towards the tips of his hair. He broke away for a moment and looked at Hangyul with a slightly dazed expression. 

The younger had a light pink blush on his cheeks, his lips red and shiny with spit. He looked up at Seungyoun with slightly hooded eyes and bit his lower lip. Seungyoun dove back down, slotting their lips together, sucking the other’s tongue into his mouth. Hangyul whimpered slightly at his actions and Seungyoun revelled in the noise.

Only he got to see him like this. Got to hear him, got to kiss him. No one else. The younger was rather restrained in his expression of emotions, save for sarcasm, and not too fond of skinship. He wasn’t one to back down or stand back for convenience - instead he was headstrong and determined, often with a dominating touch. Only Seungyoun had seen him like this, without any guard up and so obvious in his emotions and needs, it was almost baffling. The pink had completely replaced the green, getting darker and darker.

He gripped the strands he had buried his fingers in tighter and pulled back a bit from the kiss but Hangyul pulled him back in again. Their noses bumped against each other and they both opened their eyes. Seungyoun felt entranced by the eyes staring up at him: Pupils blown and wide open this time. He felt the other’s breath against his lip, their chests against each other. 

He brushed his hand he had previously buried in his hair against Hangyul cheek again and leaned down to kiss him again. He didn’t want to stop, he loved the feeling of the younger’s lips against his too much. Their kiss was slower again this time, unhurried, but still with a certain urgency laced into it. He opened his mouth again to slip his tongue into Hangyul’s mouth and was met with no resistance - the other practically welcomed him. Their tongues wrapped around each other again and again until Hangyul tilted his head to the other side, disconnecting their lips for a second.

He pressed a short open-mouthed kiss against Seungyoun’s lips before he moved his lips to the side of Seungyoun’s neck and started kissing and biting a trail down from his jaw to the juncture of it. He returned to a spot about halfway up, leaving butterfly kisses, before he sucked some skin between his teeth and bit down on it. He continued sucking at the spot with his hands roaming across Seungyoun’s shoulders and hair. A moan slipped out of Seungyoun’s lips and he slid both his hands down to the other’s waist, tightening his grip and pressing him against the door with more force before Hangyul tugged slightly on the hair at the back of his head. Seungyoun grabbed his face in response and kissed him again, with a lot more force than before; the colour was burgundy now.

They both grew more heated and daring in their advances by now, Hangyul slipping his hands down Seungyoun’s chest and roaming around his upper body, as Seungyoun leaned more and more into his space with his whole body. He scraped his teeth against Hangyul’s lower lip before taking a small step forwards, bringing a knee between the younger’s legs and…

Hangyul broke their kiss. He turned his head to the side, not looking at Seungyoun, panting a bit, a deep blush adorning his face. Seungyoun straightened his posture immediately, looking at him with a mixture of worry and question. Had he gone too far? The burgundy softened, some strands changed to white, black reappearing in the roots and bleeding into the longer strands.

“I’m sorry…” the younger mumbled almost inaudibly. Seungyoun was confused. Why was he sorry?

“I got nervous… and… I don’t…” The smaller stuttered out and blushed in an even deeper shade of red. The wheels in Seungyoun’s head turned for a moment before he understood what he meant. 

“You don’t think you’re ready for… more.. yet?” he asked slowly and carefully, searching Hangyul’s gaze. Their eyes met and the other nodded quickly before averting his eyes again. Seungyoun felt a soft smile creep up on his face and he cupped his boyfriend’s face with both his hands, the fear and worry leaving his body and being replaced by an incredible fondness and affection again: lime green. 

“That’s perfectly fine, you know. There’s no rush or pressure, okay?” He searched the younger’s eyes for a moment before he pressed a soft kiss against the tip of his nose.

“You go at your own pace and with what you’re comfortable with.” He pressed another kiss against his forehead. Hangyul’s eyes fluttered shut. Seungyoun leaned in again and softly pecked both his eyelids before leaning in for an equally soft and chaste kiss. 

“Thanks,” he whispered against his lips, obvious relief in his voice. Seungyoun smiled into the kiss and rubbed his hands against the smaller one’s sides in a soothing manner. They both pulled back, Hangyul with a small smile.

The door opening suddenly had them fall over each other to the floor in a heap. Seungyoun brought up his hand to cushion Hangyul’s head from the fall and they looked at each other with stunned faces when they found their senses again. 

“Seriously, you two? In a broom cabinet?” a voice interrupted them in a dry tone and their eyes widened when they recognised it. 

“Kinky!” a different voice added. 

“Why is it always me that finds you?” Dohyon asked again, looking at them from where he was standing, the handle of the now open door still in his hand and an expression full of suffering on his face. Behind him was a grinning Byungchan. They scrambled to untangle their limbs and get up from the floor. 

“We got locked in there! We couldn’t get out and so we were waiting for someone to come and….” Seungyoun trailed off and took in Dohyon sceptical expression and the way his eyes flitted from their messy hair, over their disheveled ties and rumpled robes to their swollen lips. They clung to Seungyoun’s neck for a bit longer before he raised his eyebrows. 

“Sure. Because you both didn’t know how to turn the handle ninety degrees to the right before the door opens. Very believable.”

Hangyul and Seungyoun looked at each other, dumbfounded by Dohyon’s revelation, before Hangyul’s eyes widened when he looked at Seungyoun’s neck. They both looked at the two boys again: Dohyon seemed to be contemplating if this was worth it all and Byungchan was wiggling his eyebrows suggestively at them. Eventually, Dohyon broke the awkward silence and turned away.

“Just… be decent for dinner, will you? And Seungyoun, please rethink this colour combination. You look ridiculous with four colours on your head. I like the black-white combo, but you can’t just add green and pink into everything, you know?”

He started walking away when Hangyul seemed to awake from a trance. 

“Wait a second! Why were you opening the doors to supply closets with Byungchan behind you, anyway?” He sounded both curious and ready to fight (to protect Dohyon’s honor probably). Dohyon turned around for a second confusedly before he looked at Byungchan and grimaced.

“Eww, no, I wouldn’t snog him even if I had swallowed a love potion.” Byungchan looked just as disgusted by the thought. “He’s my friend, anyways. And we opened the door because Lafayette was waiting in front of it and refused to be carried away.” He went the few steps back and handed the sleepy snake to Hangyul. 

“He was pretty cold so we should probably warm him up properly again.” He turned back around and started walking again. “Keep your hands off each other in front of the baby please!”

Seungyoun and Hangyul looked after him with an equally stunned expression before they looked at each other again, Hangyul’s eyes flitting to his neck again and then focussing on his now black hair with some hot pink strands to it. Seungyoun raised an eyebrow at that but Hangyul just blushed, grabbed his hand a pulled him to the closest bathroom, in front of the mirrors.

Seungyoun turned his head and saw a big and dark red hickey on his neck, splats of violet already coming into it. He leaned closer towards the mirror to inspect it and…

“Are those teeth marks?!”

The hot pink turned to burgundy.

.oO°Oo.

A hand softly shook him. Seungyoun opened his eyes and saw Hangyul’s face above him.

“Am I dead? Because there’s an angel right in front of me,” he muttered with a dopey grin. Dohyon’s face appeared next to Hangyul’s face. 

“Hyung, I think you broke him. He’s saying nonsense. And he turned green and blue. What’s with him and all the pastel?” Hangyul snorted at that and Seungyoun squawked indignantly. He pushed himself up and realised he had been laying on Hangyul’s lap. He had fallen asleep after all.

“Why did you wake me?” he whined. Both his boyfriend and Dohyon rolled their eyes at that. 

“It’s almost dinner time, you big baby,” Hangyul said. “And Dohyon needs to get going to the infirmary.” 

Seungyoun quickly got up and wrapped the youngest in a hug before pulling Hangyul into it, ignoring both of their complaints at that. At least until Dohyon kicked his shin and got out of the hug to grab his bag. 

“I need to go. I’ll see you tomorrow, I guess.” Hangyul grabbed the boy’s Arithmancy notebook from where it had still been laying on the couch and handed it to him. 

“Latest by tomorrow. No bugger off and don’t be late, okay, Dohyonnie?” he asked, obvious fondness laced into his words. Dohyon smiled shortly before he turned around and walked towards the door.

“Yeah, sure.” he threw over his shoulder but smiled in their direction before closing the door to the common room. Hangyul sighed and looked at Seungyoun.

“Shouldn’t we get going too? We have 15 minutes till dinner and we still need to get changed into the training gear.” They had Quidditch training afterwards, and hurrying back down to change was not worth the hassle. So they always went to dinner with their equipment bags and training clothes, as did the rest of the team. 

  
  


“By the way,” Hangyul added as they sat down at their house table for dinner, surrounded by some of their friends and teammates. “What were you dreaming about? You kept smiling.”

“Oh,” Seungyoun replied. “Just some pleasant memories about supply cabinets.” 

The others groaned, and Seungyoun knew his hair was yellow like the sun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We have a POV prepared for next week - who do you think it will be? 
> 
> And I know there wasn't any plot in this chapter, but we are actually getting there - I promise! I'm just a sucker for slow build-up.
> 
> Anyway, feel free to talk to us on our twitter: https://twitter.com/chaos_kisses


	15. The Song of the Rain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise, double update!

“LEE JINHYUK!” Professor Ong’s ear-piercing scream had Dohyon wince as the Professor broke through the tapestry to the secret passageway. He looked around, his eyes holding a mixture of rage and exasperation, Dohyon was sure would end lethal for his hyung. 

He politely greeted the Professor instead and turned to look when a rustling of the tapestry announced the arrival of another person. Dohyon’s eyebrows shot up for a second but he was able to school his expression into something neutral and polite again before he greeted Professor Kang. The second Professor nodded at him with a smile and continued straightening out his tie and collar of his dress shirt - a feat Professor Ong hadn’t bothered starting on yet. 

The astronomy teacher turned around, his dark green robes flying around him and he glared around, eyes landing on Dohyon at which they softened a bit. He took a breath and smoothed a hand through his hair and nodded at Dohyon before he glared at Professor Kang again. 

“Your troublemaker again!” he hissed but Professor Kang just chuckled. 

“You have to admit: this,” he pointed behind the other, “is really impressive.” 

Dohyon turned his attention back behind him: a raging and powerful firework was going off in the corridor, colourful lights and sparkles filling the high stone walls and casting a magical glow on the surroundings. Dohyon had to admit that this was truly amazing. 

That was until his eyes caught a small object on the side of the corridor: it looked like grey packages with a long piece of string that led right into the fireworks. And if Dohyon squinted, he could make out a person kneeling in the middle of all the light and sparkles and it seemed like they were fiddling with something on the ground….

Uh oh. That was probably Dohyon’s cue to go. Knowing Jinhyuk he wasn’t done yet. Dohyon tried to seem as inconspicuous as possible when he looked back at his Professors who seemed still entranced at the spectacle and cleared his throat. 

“I need to go now, Professor,” he carefully directed at Professor Ong who’s head snapped around to him. “It’s almost sundown and I need to get some homework done before I go to the infirmary….” 

Dohyon trailed off and hoped his explanation was enough for his house teacher to let him go - and the man nodded almost immediately, taking a step in his direction. 

“Of course, hurry along, Dohyon. And take care of yourself!” he said with a smile and Dohyon nodded again before he turned around. Professor Kang sent him an encouraging smile and a thumbs-up before he turned to join Professor Ong. 

Dohyon turned around and started walking, but it turned into a run after he had turned the corner and was out of sight. He didn’t know what exactly Jinhyuk was up to this time and he didn’t want to find out - but he actually needed to hurry up. 

Holding his bag closer to his body he only slowed his steps when he reached the tapestry leading to the common room and entered after he had muttered the password. The Room was blissfully empty, most students deciding to go out to meet friends from other houses or occupied in the library and on school grounds instead of the dungeons. He made his way towards one of the sofa’s near the fireplace and sat down. Time for homework. 

Sighing, he pulled out his Charms folder and opened it to have another look at his notes before he got started on his essay. A role of parchment and his quill were already neatly placed beside it as Dohyon desperately tried to understand what he was supposed to write about. 

“‘Explain, in your own words, the theory behind codependent spells and illustrate your thoughts on an example.’ Well I would do so, if I had any idea how they did work,” he muttered sourly to himself as he stared at his notes again, hoping they would just spell out the answer. This was close to hopeless - he really needed someone to explain this to him. 

His mind had been to exhausted to keep up with Professor Kim’s explanations today, all his senses focussed on his surroundings and sharpened while his body screamed for some sleep. He really hated the pre-moon phases. As if it wasn’t bad enough that he missed school on a regular basis because of his transformations or missed out on his actual free time, he already had two to three days of general exhaustion and inattentiveness leading up to it. 

It was probably one of the hardest parts of being a werewolf. His wolf was becoming more restless with the nearing full moon and his senses noted more things than usually while his body was constantly in the need for more sleep, more rest, more sustenance to prepare for the impending transformation. Understandably so, as every bone and muscle in his body rearranged twice within one night. At least it wasn’t painful, thanks to the further development of the wolfsbane potion, and he was able to spend his time as a practically harmless wolf pup in a secluded area of the infirmary.

But the side effects of the transformation were still as bad. He had almost fallen asleep in class three times this day, one time being whilst standing at the workbenches in herbology. Only Professor Sejeong’s gentle hand on his shoulder, as he had started swaying, had kept him upright when she asked how his work was going. The flitterbloom he had been working on had swayed happily at her voice and Dohyon was sure she had noticed - cleaning the tentacles of this plant was hardly a task necessary of close supervision. But he had been glad for her - literal - support.

The only positive aspect he had been able to look forward to had been the fact that this transformation was happening on a Friday - meaning he would be out of the infirmary by Saturday afternoon and with still some weekend left - and his last lesson of the day being Arithmancy with Professor Park. 

Park Woojin was an extremely energetic person who seemed rather rough around the edges initially. His boisterous deep voice and loud behaviour made him appear intimidating at first but as Dohyon got to know him, the Professor became one of his favourites. The man was incredibly good at what he was doing and went about it with unrivalled energy and motivation, igniting the same spark in many of his students. 

Dohyon had always had a knack for numbers and logic, with mathematics being one of his favourite subjects back in muggle school, and the lack of it had shaken up his whole world when he had arrived at Hogwarts. Only Hangyul’s promise of Arithmancy being an option in his third year had kept him patient and he had not been disappointed when he had started the subject. 

The mixture of logic and magic was unusual and at times strange but Dohyon enjoyed it even more because of it. And Professor Park’s constant motivation had kept him going, even if the tasks had been hard. 

A few months into his third year, one of Dohyon’s transformations had fallen on the day before he had arithmancy and he would miss the class - along with other subjects - to recover. He had gone around to inform the teachers of his absence, as he alway did, and when he was about to take his leave from Professor Park’s office, the man had asked him to wait for a second before he had handed him a folder. 

“So you have something to keep you occupied for tomorrow,” he had said when Dohyon had looked puzzled. The folder had been filled with arithmantic problems, more in-depth than what they handled in class, along with the material that would be covered on the next day. 

“I expect the homework and lesson tasks as always but feel free to hand in anything else you solve. Just for practise of course, not extra credit,” the teacher had said with a smile, snaggletooth peeking from beneath his lips. Dohyon had stuttered a thanks and left. 

The tasks had been his saving grace on several occasions, saving him from boredom when he just layed in the infirmary bed waiting for Nurse Sun to let him go. By now, all tasks in the folder were new, renewed whenever he ran out of problems. Dohyon gazed at it longingly. He’d much prefer that over Charms.

His self-pity session over homework was cut short, however, by a body slumping onto him and pinning him to the sofa. He recognised the scent immediately - Hangyul. The older boy had once again decided that Dohyon was his personal pillow. He felt something twitch against his arm as the air was pressed from his lungs and he wheezed. 

“Hyung you’re squishing me! And Lafayette!” he cried in a desperate attempt to get the older off him. Hangyul shot up at that, his hands patting over Dohyon worriedly. 

“Where is he?” he asked. “Where is my baby? Is he alright?” 

Dohyon sighed and pushed his hand into his robe’s pocket to pull the python out. Lafayette lifted his head with his tail still around him - the snake definitely had just been roused from a nap. Dohyon suppressed a smile at the coo his hyung let out when he grabbed his precious pet from the younger to store him away again. The snake surely would be glad about an elongated nap.

A sigh from the opposite sofa had Dohyon look up: Seungyoun had just sat down there with the same grace as a landing albatross. 

“What are you up to?” the older asked, eliciting an answering sigh from the youngest of them. Hangyul got up from where had been sitting on the sofa and went over to join his boyfriend, who put and arm on the backrest in an attempt to put his arm around the younger to which Hangyul leaned his head against his shoulder.

Dohyon couldn’t help the raised eyebrow; his hyungs usually weren’t this… touchy. Either something had happened or they were just exhausted. A glance at his notes brought back his own despair.

“Charms. I just get so confused by codependent spells and how they interact, I really don’t get it, there’s so much going on. And I have finished everything for Arithmancy, so I can’t put it off anymore….” he rubbed his hands over his face and glanced up at his hyungs with puppy eyes. 

This was going to work for sure, they were both weak. Seungyoun seemed to try and hide his smile but Hangyul remained expressionless. He was the one to open his mouth however - to Dohyon’s relief. One tutoring session with the older had been enough. 

“Codependent magic actually isn’t that complicated,” Hangyul started. “You see, you just need to know the base of the spell casting, then you go via elemental configuration and target distribution before you start the movements.” 

The whole sentence had made his head spin.

“Yeah, right. I totally got that,” Dohyon deadpanned. “Completely clear now.” 

Hangyul sighed and Seungyoun giggled and leaned towards his ear, whispering something Dohyon couldn’t hear. But judging by the amused expression of the oldest, it was probably something to tease the younger. Surprisingly Hangyul leaned into his boyfriend more instead of slapping his hands against the closest body part. Dohyon couldn’t help himself.

“You two are cuddly today,” he interrupted Hangyul’s attempt at speaking and earned a sheepish smile from Seungyoun who was starting to look like a colour reverse smurf by now.

“And your hair is turning light blue again, hyung,” he commented, just for good measure. 

“Yah!” Hangyul interjected. “If you want an explanation, then listen!” 

To any outsider his words might have sounded rather angry, but Dohyon knew the other too well. He could see behind the mask of annoyance to see some amusement and fondness play on his features. But he probably shouldn’t test his luck if he wanted an explanation for his homework.

“Alright so you know what a base spell is?” Hangyul started again. “Because you need the source magic to determine what the spell conglomerate is trying to accomplish after you cast it, okay?”

Dohyon nodded, eyebrows furrowed. 

“Like if I want to defend myself?” he asked and Hangyul pursed his lips for a moment before he replied. 

“You’re not wrong,” he admitted, “but that’s a too broad range. Defense with spells or with shields? Enhanced healing, defensive creatures or just straight out attacks that protect you from a counter? There are many. And the whole goal of this spell is to put as little magic into it with as much results as possible. Casting one spell with words and letting the other follow through the uninterrupted and constant motion for other spells in a specific order.” 

This actually made sense. Now he needed an example. 

“So if I choose attacks to defend myself?” he asked and Hangyul nodded. 

“Alright, so what you would choose are obviously spells that incapacitate but without bringing a lot of harm or injury to your opponent,” he explained and noticed the question before Dohyon could even voice it. 

“Harmful spells are too powerful in their magical ‘energy’, you could say, to collaborate in a codependent spell. It’s as if you put a hungry dragon into a forest but you sent in wolves earlier to decimate a certain prey population. The population would shrink, but only because of the dragon who would go for both wolves and prey as well as any other animal when he gets hungry. In the long run you would bring more damage, even to yourself.”

Dohyon nodded, understanding the metaphor perfectly, even though it was exaggerated. Dragons were not too feral without being angered.

“Now, you would only use spells - or predators - that work together or at least don’t cancel each other out,” Hangyul continued. “And for this, they need the same elemental configuration - which doesn’t count for all spells, but you couldn’t mix an earth-related spell with electricity and expect it to not be cancelled by each other’s nature - or the same target distribution. Now here it gets tricky. 

He leaned a bit forward. Seungyoun had fallen asleep by now, his head lolled back onto the sofa, his mouth wide open. 

“The target distribution can be used different for a spell but what you need to take into consideration here is that they need to be diverse. Your base magic decides on the type of magic you are using and what your initial target is. In this case we’ll use _ Expelliarmus _, because it’s easy enough. The target here is your opponents hand.” 

Hangyul gestured at his hand and Dohyon nodded at that. The older seemed relieved. 

“Alright, now the other spells would follow as you started disarming. Imagine casting Expelliarmus again and again, and imagine each spell like a little line originating from your hand, or more like a string. They all have the same target - the hand. So what would happen?”

Dohyon thought for a moment before it clicked. 

“They would hit each other and get tangled!” he concluded excitedly and Hangyul nodded. 

“In a way. They would hit each other and lose their trajectory, like projectiles,” he explained. “So how can we avoid that?” 

Suddenly things seemed to fall into place. 

“I have to use spells that follow a different trajectory!” he called and Hangyul nodded with a small smile. “And to avoid tangling up these spells they have to follow a certain pattern so they are logical in attack order and trajectories.” 

A grin was forming on Hangyul’s face at Dohyon’s joyous conclusion and the younger felt pride dwell up inside him. Hangyul knew how he thought and always brought him to a certain point from where he could figure it out by himself. 

“Well done!” he praised Dohyon. “Now you just need this specific order for your spell pattern and you’re done. What do you suggest?” 

Dohyon bit his lip and tried to think about it strategically. A random pattern would be surprising but too risky. One stray spell could easily bring too many down and he would lose focus and even control over the spell. 

“I think…” he slowly started and tried to remember what the older had taught him about self-defense back at home. “I think the best way would be something like shock and circle.” 

Hangyul raised an eyebrow, silently asking him to elaborate, even though Dohyon was certain he already knew what the younger meant. He had taught him everything he knew about defending himself, back when he had visited the Dojo in their hometown, and even though the younger was no fighter at all he had remembered a bit. 

“I need to shock at first to get the upper hand through surprise and then go around to hit as many points as possible,” he started out. “So instead of starting with an Expelliarmus I should probably go for something like Stupor or Petrificus totalus.” 

Hangyul nodded with a proud smile. 

“After I got the first shock, I send out spells to incapacitate, immobilise and disarm, in a wide array to have as many things as possible covered and not make it too predictable. These spells need to focus on different parts of the body.”

Another nod. Dohyon felt a surge of confidence well up. 

“If I choose the right order and kind of spells, especially with some that can be used at any direction with the same reaction, I should be able to create a spiral in the trajectory patterns, which goes outward from the central Stupor and places the spells far enough from each other to avoid a collision course.” 

Hangyul clapped his hands once in triumph and Seungyoun flinched in his sleep, a loud snore leaving his still open mouth. Both Hangyul and Dohyon looked at the oldest before they broke out into silent laughter. 

“Take it as a compliment,” Hangyul suggested and Dohyon nodded. “And you should start writing that down because you only have about,” he looked at his watch, “twenty minutes left.” 

The younger nodded and grabbed the parchment and quill to start out on his essay. Rustling from the opposite sofa had him glance up again after a minute and painted a smile on his face. 

Hangyul had leaned back into the sofa cushions but had pulled Seungyoun down onto his lap to continue his slumber. The older didn’t even wake up at being moved and was now securely cuddled in his boyfriend's lap who stroked his hair with a lovestruck expression on his face. Dohyon was usually glad that they weren’t too big on PDA but it always made him happy to see moments like this. And to know the person he considered to be his older brother was happy.

The twenty minutes flew by quickly and Dohyon was only halfway through his explanation but he decided to finish it tomorrow. While he threw his things in his bag, Hangyul started to wake Seungyoun. The older clearly was pretty out of it. 

“Am I dead? Because there’s an angel right in front of me,” were the first words he said and Dohyon suppressed a snort at that before he joined Hangyul in leaning over the oldest. Fascinating; Seungyoun’s hair colour had changed again.

“Hyung, I think you broke him. He’s saying nonsense. And he turned green and blue. What’s with him and all the pastel?” he commented. The colour choices really were questionable sometimes but he just attributed it to Seungyoun’s quirky personality. And it was amusing at times. Like now when he squawked. 

“Why did you wake me?” Seungyoun whined. Both his boyfriend and Dohyon rolled their eyes at that. 

“It’s almost dinner time, you big baby,” Hangyul said. “And Dohyon needs to get going to the infirmary.” 

Now this got the older up more quickly than Dohyon had expected and he found himself wrapped into a hug and his nose squished into his hyung’s chest uncomfortably. Another body slammed into his and he concluded that Seungyoun must’ve pulled Hangyul in too. He turned his face to rest sideways against the hard chest he was still pressed against and breathed in the familiar mix of both Hangyul’s and Seungyoun’s scent for a moment before he tried to step back. 

But Seungyoun’s hug was like a vice grip. As all struggling wouldn’t help, Dohyon lifted his foot. One nicely aimed kick against the shin and both he and Hangyul were free again.

“I need to go. I’ll see you tomorrow, I guess,” he said in a non-committal tone and Hangyul handed him the Arthmany folder that had still been on the table. 

“Latest by tomorrow,” he promised. “No bugger off and don’t be late, okay, Dohyonnie?” 

Dohyon tried to look unaffected and turned around.

“Yeah, sure,” he threw over his shoulder. But when he reached the door, he turned around again to smile at the two older boys. He couldn’t help it.

.oO°Oo.

His trip to the infirmary was uneventful as ever and he had just greeted Nurse Sun and settled into his bed in a secluded little part of the large room after changing into his hospital robe, when the door opened and Byungchan came in. To keep Dohyon in human form as long as possible, the curtains of the infirmary were shut tightly to keep out the moonlight and another curtain was hung around his bed to give him privacy. 

He actually couldn’t see his friend come in but he smelled him. His senses were getting even more sharp with the night approaching quickly. Steps came closer to his bed and the curtain was moved gently. 

“Hi!” the older greeted merrily. “I brought you dinner!” 

It was a tradition. Byungchan always came in the evening to bring him dinner or a dessert if he was late and chatted with him. If he didn’t show up by a certain time, Nurse Sun had taken to summoning a houself to bring Dohyon some food and he had enjoyed a few conversations with the small creatures. They were incredibly friendly and kind and Dohyon always made sure to thank them for the food. 

He ate in silence as Byungchan chatted away about his day and some gossip he had heard about. Idle chatter Dohyon joined in on as soon as he was finished and put his plate aside. By then Byungchan was usually occupying the foot of his bed with his back against the metal railing to keep himself up. The younger was glad about these talks. The first few times Byungchan had tried to be more serious but it had only increased Dohyon’s own nervousness. To calm him, the older had taken to just chattering about anything that came to mind. And it had worked. 

“Good evening,” a soft voice interrupted them and their Potions teacher, Kim Sohye, entered the space inside the curtain with a cup in her hands. Steam rose from the dark liquid inside and curled ominously in the air. She smiled kindly at the boys before she stepped closer to the bed and held out the cup for Dohyon to take. 

“You should drink it quickly before it cools down,” she said. “And I already added some honey to it.” 

The younger of the two sent her a grateful smile and took the cup. Grimacing at the liquid for a second only, he lifted it to his lips and downed it as quickly as he could. The honey couldn’t mask the bitter taste but it was bearable. He handed the cup back to the waiting teacher and smiled. 

“Thank you, Professor,” he said with genuine gratefulness. This potion that she made every single month for him really had made his transformations a less gruesome experience. It was Professor Kim who had figured out how she had to tweak the formula to make the potion both inhibit the aggressiveness of the werewolf and numb the pain from transforming without being cancelled out by some ingredients of the potion. 

It was still a rather tiring process to change but by now Dohyon was used to the feeling of his limbs, bones, everything, rearranging. But it wasn’t painful anymore - just a bit strange. When curled up as a wolf afterwards, it was pretty much fine. 

The Professor took back the cup and bid them goodbye again, chatting shortly with Nurse Sun to keep tabs on possible effects the potion had. With making it new every single month, the risk remained that something could go wrong. But for the past few years everything had been fine. 

Dohyon turned his attention back on Byungchan and they continued their previous conversation, Byungchan going into a full blown analysis of the latest letter he had received from his pen pal. They had a strange relationship and Dohyon was amazed every single time. Neither of them knew the others name, exact age or location, except for the fact they were both students. 

It had started when an unfamiliar owl had dropped a letter into Byungchan’s porridge almost two years ago and when he pulled it out to read it, had turned out to be a short note about a meeting after class ends to return some books and about a topic that was apparently bothering the writer very much. No name or hint where it could have come from was visible. 

Byungchan - curious by nature - had just written a note by himself under the few words, claiming that he didn’t know what was meant but that he would be open to lend an open ear and give some objective advice if need be. Then had sent off the owl again and waited. 

It had returned a week later with another letter, longer this time and addressed at the “mysterious advisor”, recounting some occurrences that had taken place between some friends of the unknown person and he was unsure how to deal with. Byungchan gave advice and sent the letter back. No names were mentioned again, no places. Only the school setting was clear, and the writer had implied to be male. 

From there they had taken off. The letters arrived once a week, no matter what was happening, and always carried by the same owl. The two had been writing letters for a long time now but still didn’t know each other's name. And Dohyon was sure that by the way Byungchan had started talking about his pen pal, he was developing a crush. So Dohyon listened and tried to make suggestions at what Byungchan told him but he wasn’t sure if what he said was even helpful. As much as he wanted to support him - this one Byungchan had to figure out on his own. 

Eventually the older left when the time was nearing to close the infirmary doors for visitors and Dohyon was left by his lonesome. Pondering over what Byungchan had told him about again, he almost missed the approaching footsteps if it hadn’t been for Nurse Sun’s voice sounding suddenly with obvious exasperation. 

“Do you know what time it is?” 

“I know, I’m sorry. I tried to come as quickly as possible.” Hangyul’s voice replied, quiet and pleading. “Just for a bit?” A sigh. 

“You got 5 min, then I want everyone out of here. The moon will be fully up soon!” Nurse Sun sounded annoyed but a trace of fondness was in her voice. 

“I know, I’ll hurry,” Hangyul agreed hurriedly. “Thank you.” 

Footsteps approached the curtain and the older ducked inside. He was still in his training gear for Quidditch, hair tousled by the wind and a few sprinkles of mud over his robes. 

“How are you?” he asked instead of a greeting, sitting carefully on the edge of Dohyon’s mattress. The younger decided to forego the greeting too.

“Hyung, you didn’t have to come.” Hangyul looked like he had sprinted all the way here from the Quidditch field, cheeks tinged pink and his breathing slowing down slowly. Dohyon was both glad and almost feeling guilty for seeing his hyung like this.

“Am I not allowed to see my favourite lap dog?” the older said with a smirk and barely dodged the punch Dohyon aimed at his upper arm.

”Ouch,” he commented. “Guess I deserved that.”

He leaned forward and put a cool hand on Dohyon’s forehead before he gently brushed through the youngers hair, his smirk turning into a warm smile. 

“You’ll be alright,” he said and Dohyon scoffed. 

“I know. I have been the past few years,” he replied cockily. But a knowing smile was painted on Hangyul’s features. He knew the younger too well - he knew how worried Dohyon was and how he needed the reassurance. Even though he would never admit it. 

“You have dealt with it like a champ,” the older softly praised him and Dohyon looked away. A hand pinched his cheek.

“Good puppy,” Hangyul said in a tone he usually reserved for teasing Dohyon. The younger slapped his hand away and glowered at the older who seemed thoroughly unfazed by it.

“I’ll be here to see you tomorrow, alright?” Hangyul said instead of reacting to the glare. Dohyon rolled his eyes.

“Hyung, you really don’t need to baby me,” he whined but it only got him another smile.

“Oh, I know. But that’s what you do for people you care about.” Warmth pooled in his belly and spread out to his arms and legs at this. Hangyul knew him too well. And he knew what he needed to hear. He knew, he was as much home to Dohyon as the younger was home to him. 

Hangyul got up from the bed and stretched his arms over his head, joints popping at the movement before he turned back towards Dohyon. 

“I’m gonna leave you to it now before Nurse Sun kicks my ass,” he announced and took a step closer towards the end where Dohyon was sitting. He wrapped an arm around his head gently and leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to his hair before he stepped back and lifted the curtain. 

“Sleep well.” And with that he vanished behind the white fabric, steps moving away. Dohyon felt himself smile and perked up when Nurse Sun came to check on him after a minute. 

“You’re all set?” she asked. Her strict tone and features gradually softened as she looked at Dohyon who nodded. 

“Alright, then we’re starting now.” She pulled out her wand and waved it shortly. The lights flickered off one by one, until only the one at the door to her office remained. She waved it again and the curtains started opening slowly. 

“Come get me or call if anything is wrong, okay?” she directed at Dohyon before she turned to walk to her office and closed the door behind her. 

Moonlight started flooding the room as the large windows were revealed. The full moon cast an eerie glow over everything in the room, making the night seem less dark. Dohyon held his breath until the light reached his bed. It started almost immediately.

His spine elongated slowly, as did his skull. The muscles and tendons around them stretched to accommodate the new form and his skin pulled taut before it started stretching too. Dohyon carefully turned on his side - it was easier for the transformation that way - and tried not to think too deeply about what was happening to his body. 

Fur started growing everywhere, a mixture of grey and brown fluffy fur. He was slowly starting to lose his pup fur, Dohyon noted in an attempt to distract himself. The brown fur was characteristic for wolf pups, and it only slowly turned to the grey one would expect. The strange feeling of his leg and arm muscles shifting and transformation of his extremities distracted him again. He would probably never get used to the feeling of his nails turning into claws. Only the sensation of getting a muzzle and sharp pointy teeth surpassed it. 

Finally it was done. Dohyon was in wolf form on his bed, still on his side. After shredding his pyjamas a few times, he had started wearing hospital gowns with an open back instead. The drawstrings ripped at his transformation, and he could just shake the garment off afterwards. After his legs were freed from the fabric, Dohyon curled up on the bed and closed his eyes. 

Sleep wouldn’t come easy. There was wind outside, stormy November winds that howled around the castle, promising a storm. They brought clouds, heavy clouds that hung dark and deep over the Scottish highlands, and a faint grumble filled the air. Static and humidity were already rising and Dohyon’s fine senses noticed everything more enhanced. 

His ears twitched as he listened for any sounds: the grumbling of the thunder, the howling of the wind, the rustle of the Forbidden Forest. The first drops started falling and he listened to their rhythmic pitter-patter. The rain carried the scents of the surrounding air, making them stronger as he breathed in. The smell of the castle, the forest, the grass, all the people gathered close by. The smell of the centaurs wafted from the trees and carried over to the castle - indiscernible for humans, but he could smell them. He could almost taste the rain, the earth, the forest. 

He smelled someone familiar. Dohyon’s eyes opened and he focussed on the origin of that scent only to meet a pair of ochre eyes reflecting the moonlight. Dohyon blinked calmly. A small and fluffy brown cat was sitting in front of his bed, eyes staring at him. There was no hostility, only curiosity and a silent question. 

_ May I? _

He huffed and closed his eyes again for a second before he looked at the cat again. It was his sign that he was comfortable. The feline slowly approached the bed and jumped up on it. It truly was tiny compared to him. Even though Dohyon was only a pup himself, he was already at the size of a grown German shepherd - gigantic, compared to a small kitten. The fluffy fur and tufted ears might add to its size, but overall it was still so very petite. 

Dohyon was glad for the company. Cats had visited him several times but for the first three years it had only been one cat. A beautiful White Bengal cat, with almost snowy fur and dark leopard spots. Intelligent eyes had always studied him as they waited for his signal to join him. He knew it was Professor Kim Chungha from the beginning - he had been introduced to her at the first day of school. Hangyul had led him through the maze of corridors after his last lesson to her office to introduce them.

Professor Kim, as an animagus, had offered to supervise him during his transformations. She had been clear about it from the beginning: one reason for this was the obligation (put on the school through the ministry) to supervise him and keep him from both harming himself and others. The second and, as the Professor had stressed, more important reason was to keep him calm and occupied. 

Dohyon had already gone through enough transformations to know how boring they would get and sometimes Hangyul had snuck into his room to keep him company. It had been risky but the younger had not been able to change his hyung’s mind. This way he was at least assured that Hangyul wouldn’t get himself in trouble and that he himself wouldn’t be alone. 

A werewolf was calmer around animals. Their family dog had always proven to be a great support and it was the same with the Professor. In the beginning she came before he transformed, calming him with her presence as his body rearranged itself. That had been before the new potion had taken effect and he had been relieved to have someone during the pain. 

As time passed and his transformations now took place in a less hurtful way, she arrived later, sometimes minutes after, sometimes it took one or two hours. But she always came. It was a routine and Dohyon had expressed his gratefulness many times - in both human and wolf form - but she had always patted his shoulder with a soft smile and reassured him that he shouldn’t worry about it. 

During the spring of his third year at Hogwarts she brought a kitten with her. Dohyon had been surprised when a new smell had wafted in and two pair of eyes had looked at him. He hadn’t minded it but the kitten had seemed scared. While the Professor joined Dohyon on the bed, the kitten had slowly circled the bed and eventually jumped on the window sill at the end of Dohyon’s bed. 

It had sat there the entire night, just observing. And Dohyon had let it. There was no use in pushing or scaring it, after all. And lo and behold, the next month the kitten came back with Professor Kim. It still seemed wary but this time it sat on the bed too, careful to not get too close. Dohyon had only whined quietly when his wolf had taken over his human, confused at the distance but accepted it. 

With the next time it dared to sit closer to Dohyon, still observing. And eventually it had laid down and curled into his side. The scent had calmed the young werewolf, more than usual. It was different from his teacher somehow, more familiar in a way. But he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. 

During the last week of the school year Professor Kim had asked him to her office for a talk. Dohyon had gone there, unsure of what to expect and with a slightly worried Hangyul waiting for him back in the common room. The older thankfully hadn’t snuck into the infirmary but he had made sure to visit Dohyon before it closed in the evening. The few times he hadn’t come had never been out of his own volition - detention, long Quidditch practise he couldn’t run from, and one time sickness. But apart from that he had been there. 

Dohyon had tried not to show his nervousness but Professor Kim hadn’t assured him that everything was alright the moment he had entered the office. Apparently this was a matter of both discretion and honesty. She explained that apart from him she had another student who was being supervised by her personally. An animagus like her. 

Dohyon had already guessed that the second cat had to be one - the initial behaviour had been too human - but he wouldn’t have thought it to be a student. Now the question was if he would be willing to reveal his identity to the animagus and vice versa. The other had agreed already but there was no obligation for Dohyon to go along with it, she had assured him. 

Professor Kim had sat down with a cup of tea after offering Dohyon some too and had explained the reason: as an animagus herself she understood how difficult it was at times to accept both sides of oneself - the human and the animal side. To feel understood was a hard task as few people shared the same ability or fate. 

Dohyon had been surprised by her revelation as she had explained that both her student and her had not chosen to become animagi but instead had inherited a genetic predisposition for it that only materialised at a certain age. In this way they both shared Dohyon’s fate of unwillingly having two sides of himself. 

She had hoped that if they decided to meet, the two students would be able to relate and confide in each other through their shared experience. To know that there was someone who understood in a way most couldn’t. And Dohyon had agreed. 

Professor Chungha had asked him to wait for a moment and had left the office, entering the adjoining one of Hufflepuff’s head of house, Kim Sejeong. When she returned, a small boy with curly brown hair and a shy expression had followed her. A boy he knew - as they were in the same year. 

Professor Kim had introduced them and had said another few words about what she was hoping for them to gain out of this. Then she had smiled, conjured up some more tea and biscuits and left the office to give them some space. 

The awkwardness had enveloped them like a curtain and both boys hadn’t known what to say until Hyeongjun had broken the ice. 

“I’m glad,” he had admitted shyly. “Glad that you agreed to… this.” 

He had gestured around vaguely. 

“I’m nervous,” Dohyon had whispered after a few more moments of silence. “Hardly anyone knows about me and I didn’t know if this was the right decision, to be honest.”

Hyeongjun had looked striken at that and Dohyon had quickly tried to explain. 

“Not because of you! Just in general. To reveal this to someone I hardly know.” He had looked up from his hands, voice catching in his throat. “It’s scary.” 

Hyeongjun had agreed. It had taken them a while but eventually they had started talking, shared stories of their transformations. And from there on they had slowly started building a friendship. They had written letters over summer and even met up once. 

When the new school year started, Professor Kim had decided to have them try on their own and she only came to check on them once or twice a night. And it had been fine. On the outside they hadn’t changed. Their circle of friends overlapped on some parts but they didn’t spend much time in school. 

They were more comfortable with each other in their animal form, so Hyeongjun mostly approached Dohyon like this in school too. But when they saw each other in class or in the hallways they always exchanged a smile, a look that told them both that if needed they’d be there. 

They’d be there just like Hyeongjun was here right now. The small brown cat climbed over his considerably long limbs and nudged his muzzle playfully before it settled down, curled against the fur of Dohyon’s side. 

He took a deep breath, taking in the scents and sounds around him again as he closed his eyes. The familiar smell of Hyeongjun, the forest, the earth, the castle. The faint grumble of thunder, the howling of the wind, the rustle of the trees. 

The pitter-patter of the rain, stronger now. And like a song it sang him to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was it what you expected? Or where there any surprises?
> 
> Talk to us in the comments or on twitter (@chaos_kisses)


	16. The things you do

On Kookheon's sign Yohan turned towards the field underneath him and landed in a well trained manner. The older Gryffindor landed next to him and patted his shoulder in praise before getting off his Broomstick.

"Good work today." he said. "You were really going into it with a lot of power." 

Yohan smiled wearily and proceeded to get off his broomstick too. Kookeheon had already gone over to the chest with the training balls and was locking the Quaffle in it before he pulled out his wand. A quick spell had him levitating the chest a few centimetres above ground. 

"Now let's go put these away and then we'll need to have a quick chat over the necessary strategy and schedule." the older said with a sigh and glanced over his shoulder at Yohan. Kookheon seemed exhausted from playing too, but not as bad as it had been in the beginning or last year.

Yohan nodded and followed him, trying not to drag his feet - two hours on a broomstick with constant harsh training really were draining. He couldn't wait for a nice hot shower and his bed, especially with no homework waiting this time (he had managed to finish everything and a day longer for one essay). But still, he felt frustration well up inside him. 

Ignoring the feeling he focused back right on time to avoid running into the door of their practise room. That would have been a new low. Kookheon suppressed a snicker when he noticed how close Yohan had been to testing the wood’s stability with his face. They locked their brooms in the cabinet and placed the chest in the shared shed for equipment before they returned to their changing room and sat down on one of the wooden benches.

"Alright," Kookheon started out and grabbed his water bottle to take a sip. "We've got most of the formations down by now and we have tried them on a Keeper already." 

Yohan almost winced at the memory. They had trained with Jinhyuk after the older had missed a session and tested all their special formation training on him. And even though the older was a more than capable Keeper, he had been caught by surprise by every single one. 

It had taken Yohan and Kookheon quite a while to be able to fly the complicated formations and to complete all changes and switches, even without a ball. At some point he had stopped counting how often they had dropped the Quaffle per attempt but eventually they had mastered it. And poor Jinhyuk had been devastated that he hadn't caught even one throw. 

"What we need now is training with a Beater." Kookheon returned Yohan's attention to him. "I would like to start on that after our game against Hufflepuff next week so we can focus on normal training beforehand."

"Yeah, I agree." Yohan commented with a nod. "We'd only make the others nervous if we start practising new formation right before a match." 

Kookheon nodded sagely before he added: "And I don't want to traumatise Jinhyuk anymore." 

They both shared an expression of seriousness for a moment before they broke out into laughter. Considering everything it had been almost funny with Jinhyuk's long limbs flailing around into every direction a few weeks ago. Eventually Kookheon quieted down, still smiling. 

"I know we went over them quickly but look at the Beater stratagems again, please. So we can start practising after the game." Yohan nodded at that.

"Hyung, are we including the Chaser formations in the upcoming game?" he asked. "It could be a good opportunity to test them plus we it can give us an advantage over Hufflepuff." 

Kookheon mulled over his words for a bit, his hand on his chin and his eyes far away. 

"We could," he said slowly. "But I'd actually try to avoid it." 

He carded his hand through his hair with a sigh.

"We can't forget that the game is also the evaluation, but the circumstantial and not technical. We need to show them that we can play well even without these strategies employed because us two," he motioned between them, "are the only ones that know them. By that we would deliberately leave our teammates out and maybe even set them up for failed attempts. I'd like to focus on showing our synchronicity this time instead of pure technique." 

Yohan nodded thoughtfully; he hadn't considered that. 

"If push comes to shove," Kookheon conceded, "we'll give the team our emergency signal and go through with it. But only if the game is going bad." 

Yohan hummed in agreement before a yawn surprised him. He stretched his hands over his head. 

"You're tired, aren't you?" the older asked and ruffled Yohan's hair a bit as the younger blinked blearily. "How've you been faring? Better or worse?" 

Yohan knew what he was on about.

"Better actually. With the timing and schedule exchange I've been able to distribute everything a bit better. I'm definitely less stressed." 

About three weeks ago , he and Kookheon had been called to a sort of board meeting with their teachers. Professor Kang had explained the situation to them: apparently, there had been a lack of information about the demand of their Quidditch scholarship additionally to their school work and it had resulted in extremely packed schedules for both of them. 

The teachers now wanted to get their opinion and proposed a schedule exchange so that they could time bigger assignments better in accordance with the boys training and evaluation schedule. They were all aware that they needed good grades to keep their scholarships and had agreed that minimal adjustments in time for the faculty could have maximal positive effects for the boys.

Yohan and Kookheon both had been astounded and confused how the sudden meeting had come to pass. Professor Kang had explained that the teachers had been alerted on the situation by someone from the student body. As if to reassure them, he had also added that this person had been none of their teammates, and instead a neutral and trustworthy individual. He had also stressed that this was only to accommodate the two boys as to not avoid having them break down but that they expected their further assignments to continue being up their usual standards. 

And from there it had become considerably easier for them adjust training and homework without them clashing all the time. Still, Yohan had dark bags under his eyes. So Kookheon’s worry was understandable. 

“I’ve just not been sleeping well,” the younger tried to explain. Kookheon sighed and nodded. 

“Well, can’t help that,” he said. “Anything on your mind?” 

Yohan hesitated for a moment before he answered. “Just some things I couldn’t really figure out yet.” 

“Does it,” Kookheon started, but hesitation was clear in his voice. Carefully he continued. “Does it have anything to do with your friend? The shy one, Junho?” 

Yohan froze and looked at Kookheon. 

“How… Why do you ask?” he stuttered out. The older turned his head at him and studied Yohan’s face for a few moments before he looked away again. Crossing his arms in front of his chest, he leaned back against the wall. 

“I just noticed he hasn’t been picking you up from practise as frequently recently. And not to pry, but your mood seemed a bit lower than usually,” -Yohan opened his mouth to apologise, but Kookheon waved him off - “but it didn’t affect how you played. I just noticed you seemed a bit… sad?” 

The last sentence came out as a question and Yohan understood that the older couldn’t really place the emotion he had noticed within the sixth year.

“And like today you seemed almost angry sometimes - you had so much force and energy in your throws, it was impressive - but it also seemed to me like there was a lot of pent up emotion.” 

Yohan stayed quiet, somewhat baffled by how easy the other seemed to read him. Kookheon waited for a moment before he spoke again. 

“You don’t have to tell me, you know. But if you want to I’m here to listen.” When the younger stayed silent again, Kookheon redirected his eyes to the ceiling again breathed deeply. It wasn’t frustrated, but more of an acknowledgment of the younger’s decision. Just as he was about to get up from the bench, Yohan spoke next to him. His voice was terribly small and sounded defeated. 

“You’re right,” he whispered. Kookheon sat down again, this time with his body turned towards Yohan. The younger looked at him with large sad eyes. 

“You’re right,” he repeated. “I… I don’t know. I feel sad, I feel frustrated, I feel angry, and I hate that I feel like this. Because I shouldn’t. And because the reason I feel like this is so… stupid. On my part.”

His voice gained more force as he spoke, but returned to a whisper again. Yohan sat up and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, eyes at the floor. 

“And you’re right, it’s about Junho,” he added quietly. 

“Did you fight?” Kookheon asked, but Yohan immediately shook his head. 

“No, nothing like it. I don’t think - or at least I hope - Junho has even noticed it. And I don’t want him to notice because it would be so unfair.” he tried to explain. Kookheon didn’t really follow by the way his face mirrored confusion. 

“But as a friend. Shouldn’t he like, I don’t know, notice and you can talk it out? Especially if he is the reason for it?” he asked, but Yohan shook his head fervently. 

“No, definitely not! It doesn’t make sense that I feel this way, because it’s all just… because,” he quieted down again and whispered the last bit, “I’m jealous.” 

Kookheon blinked. He shouldn’t be too surprised: Yohan had such a sweet nature that he’d feel guilty over his jealousy, would feel anger and frustration directed against himself. But what, Kookheon wondered, could Junho have done to inflict this emotion in his friend? 

“I can’t tell Junho because it wouldn’t be fair,” Yohan repeated. “Because I’m not even jealous of him directly.” 

Kookheon sighed. 

“Look, I don’t know what’s been happening so I need you to be a bit clearer with me here,” he said. “Who are you jealous of and why?” 

Silence again, but again Kookheon knew he needed to let the younger gather his thoughts. After about a minute Yohan seemed to have reached a conclusion. 

“A few weeks ago,” he started slowly, “Eunsang introduced Junho and me to one of their housemates from Ravenclaw, Sihoon. He’s in my year so I know him, but Junho only saw him in passing and Eunsang thought they’d get along well. And they did.” 

A tiny smile snuck onto Yohan’s lips. 

“Junho really clicked with him. Sihoon is super kind and gentle and he immediately understood how Junho’s personality functions - like how he needs recharge time, but he’s not lethargic, just shy and he can get savage, but he needs an energy source - and they just got along so well. And because they’re in the same house they see each other way more often and spend a lot of time. And Sihoon started helping him out with homework and studying when I was preoccupied and he admittedly explains a lot better than I do. And they are together so much and I’m just jealous.” 

Yohan had gotten faster and faster in his rambling and now he suddenly broke off. Kookheon stayed quiet; this already explained a lot about Yohan but not why he was that frustrated and neither why Junho wasn’t picking him up from training anymore. Now that he thought about it, he had seen Yohan in the Gryffindor common room for the last weeks more frequently too. So there had to be something else.

“And,” the younger started again, voice small again. “I think I’m so jealous because Sihoon might have feelings for Junho. I’ve talked with Eunsang about them at some point because they were getting along so well and he mentioned that Sihoon had spoken about Junho before - and a lot apparently. So he had decided to introduce them. And Sihoon… he’s just so sweet and nice and caring and they click.”

The younger looked up with an almost haunted look in his eyes. 

“I shouldn’t feel jealous. I shouldn’t because Junho is my best friend and he means so much to me, and I should want the best for him. And if Sihoon is what he wants and what is best for him I shouldn’t be jealous. But I am, because they spend so much time together, because they fit well together and more importantly because…” 

He slowed to a stop again, his previously agitated voice suddenly fearful and desperate. Kookheon held his breath. There was something more. 

“Because I think Junho feels more comfortable around him. More comfortable than he feels around me anyway. And it’s all my fault.” 

Now this came as a surprise to Kookheon. Like everyone he had been a bit surprised at first how Yohan’s and Junho’s personalities were supposed to get along, but as he had gotten to know them a bit better he had seen it. They just completed each other and held deep affection and understanding for the other. It was beyond him why Junho should suddenly feel uncomfortable around Yohan. 

“Why would he though?” he asked and Yohan took a deep shaky breath. 

“Recently I…” Yohan started out but broke off again, seeming to sort out his thoughts again. “You know how I get a lot of confessions?” 

Kookheon nodded and tried to keep his expression as neutral as possible, considering the slightly embarrassed look on the younger’s face. 

“And you know how I turn all of them down?” 

He nodded again. 

“And coincidentally, Junho was with me at every single one of those confessions except for one.”

Now this was surprising. 

“It was towards the end of last year. And I mentioned it recently when we were studying in the library, I turned to Junho and said ‘There has been this 4th year confessing to me and he was really cute, but I turned him down and he was really sad’ and Junho just turned to look at me very slowly.” 

“Wait,” Kookheon interjected, “not judging, just making sure I caught this right. The kid confessing to you was a boy?” 

Yohan nodded and Kookheon mirrored his action. “Go on.” 

“Junho was also really surprised and he asked me if it was awkward or if I turned him down because he was a boy - which is weird in itself because he usually doesn’t really ask much about the people - and I told him I don’t mind the gender, or sex, at all and that for me the person themselves is just important.”

“Oh.” Kookheon breathed out quietly but Yohan caught it among his rambling and turned towards him. A slight worry had crept on his features and Kookheon immediately scooted closer and grabbed his shoulders to reassure him. 

“Listen I’m just a bit surprised, but I am not judging you for it, okay?” he said with vehemence and stared into Yohan’s eyes until the younger nodded. He sighed in relief and loosened his grip to gently rub Yohan’s arms instead. “I just didn’t expect for you to practically come out to me.”

A small smile appeared on the younger’s face at that and Kookheon felt relief flood him again. 

“Go on with your story.” Kookheon encouraged him and the smile disappeared. 

“This… is basically it. I told Junho and shortly after he started hanging out with Sihoon more and we see each other less and less. And.” Yohan stopped and his eyes went to stare at his hands again. 

“What if I make him uncomfortable?” he asked with a shaky voice. “What if he doesn’t want to spend time with me anymore plus Sihoon is probably the better, the more reliable option for him then my chaotic self and…” 

“Alright, I’m gonna stop you right here,” Kookheon interrupted sternly. “Number one, Kim Yohan: Don’t talk like this about yourself. Don’t even think it. Because it’s not true. You are a reliable, lovely and amazing person and friend and don’t you ever dare doubt yourself.”

Tears had started welling up in Yohan’s eyes. 

“Number two, and I’m going to have to stress this: There is a major flaw in your thought process.” 

At this Yohan looked confused. 

“You are worried that Junho feels uncomfortable around you because of your sexuality, right?” A nod. “And you said yourself you want the best for him and that him and Sihoon would be a great match, right?” Another nod. “And I’m assuming that you came to this conclusion based on something you know about Junho’s sexual or romantic preferences?” 

Yohan’s eyes widened as realisation dawned inside them. The boy really had thought and worried himself into a corner. Kookheon couldn’t suppress the smile. 

“Thought so,” he said. “Now whatever your intentions in your relationship with Junho are you will need to figure out on your own. But I’m telling you: if you want to spend time with him, then do it! You haven’t had reservations for the past four year, why start now? Go to him and if he wants time for himself, he’ll tell you.” 

Yohan looked shaken. As if he had just had a revelation. Kookheon shook his head. The boy was not stupid, far from it, but sometimes all his braincells seemed to be on vacation at the same time. 

“And if it reassures you,” he continued, “then ask Junho if he feels uncomfortable around you. You know him better than anyone, you will be able to read him.” 

Yohan nodded slowly. 

“I’m stupid,” he said quietly and Kookheon chuckled. “I’m really stupid, hyung.” 

“You’re not stupid you’re just,” Kookheon frantically searched for the right words, “blinded by emotions, I guess. But you can clear it up, you know?” 

Yohan nodded again and with more vigor, his usual energetic self returning. Kookheon was glad to see it. He wasn’t sure i what he had advised him was ideal, but at least it was a start. And he wasn’t his kindergartener after all. He was his friend. 

Yohan had to make his own decisions. 

.oO°Oo.

Yohan wasn’t sure how long he had been staring straight ahead at the bookshelf behind Junho, but he was pretty sure that if asked he could recite at least sixty percent of the titles stacked there. The boy opposite him clearing his throat made his eyes shift towards the impassive face watching him. Impassive - except for the eyes. A question was burning in them, along with a slight worry and undeniable fondness. He didn’t even need to ask. 

“Stop worrying,” Yohan said softly. “I’m just… thinking about something.” 

Junho’s eyes wandered over his face and returned to his eyes. 

“What is it?” he asked. Yohan felt his heart beat getting faster at the question and nervousness rose up. He swallowed and looked down for a moment before he decided no. This was Junho, his best and closest friend and he would, he could look him in the eyes. 

“I was wondering” - his mouth felt dry - “if you felt...uncomfortable around me.” 

Junho raised his brow, almost indiscernible. But Yohan knew what to look for.

“After… after the conversation we had about this boy that confessed to me.” His words lost strength towards the end, but his eyes were still trained on Junho. His friends dark eyes showed nothing for a second until realisation dawned. 

“Oh that. I thought you know I don’t mind it?” he said with a bit of confusion. “I mean look at our friends.” 

Yohan couldn’t help but snort at that comment. Junho was right after all but he also hadn’t thought about that either. 

“I was being irrational,” he admitted sheepishly. 

“Terrible mistake.” Junho deadpanned. “You should upgrade your software, the last update had a whole new rationality pack.” 

Yohan stared at him for a moment as Junho remained stoic - but then a small smile curled on his lips and Yohan broke out into laughter. It was freeing in a way. He should have known it would be this easy, because this was Junho.

Yohan only calmed down after the librarian Mrs. Bae had suddenly appeared and whacked him over the head with a notebook before she shushed him. Junho smiled at her with an angelic expression and she left him alone with a raised eyebrow and a quiet warning. When she had vanished behind the shelves again Yohan leaned over to Junho. 

“That,” he said, still giggling, “was brilliant.” Junho grinned broadly. 

Their whole talk had taken a burden off of Yohan’s shoulders and he had been incredibly relieved after. Just one thing was still bugging him and he really did not know how to bring it up: Sihoon’s by now rather obvious affection towards Junho. Yohan’s only silver lining and at the same time the bane of his existence was Junho’s utter obliviousness. 

Just a few days after their conversation Yohan had arrived in the library to see Sihoon and Junho huddled in their corner. It was a view he was used to by now, but what was new was how physically close they had gotten. Yohan took out his homework and books to at least seem productive but his eyes were fixed on the pair. 

Both had greeted him when he had joined them, Sihoon with happy words and Junho with a smile and a mandatory "Yoho" and this twinkle in his eyes that Yohan was absolutely convinced was there but no one else had ever noticed it. Afterwards they had immediately returned to their task at hand which had turned out to be a rather complicated astronomical map. Sihoon was leaning close to Junho to show him stars and constellations and explain their trajectories, with his other hand resting on the back of the younger’s chair. Occasionally the older Ravenclaw glanced up and tried to catch Junho’s eye but the younger never noticed. 

Yohan had to suppress a grin. He didn’t have anything against Sihoon, but Junho was a different thing.The younger didn’t even notice the way Sihoon tried to catch his attention but was fully focussed on the task at hand. He only looked up one time when Yohan took out a small pack of Jelly he had been keeping in his bag and placed it in the middle of the table. Immediately Junho’s focus shifted and he caught Yohan’s eye with a question in them. Yohan chuckled. 

“Sure, take them. But leave some of the green ones for me, okay?” Junho grinned and grabbed some jellies and started happily munching on them after offering them to Sihoon who politely declined. Yohan felt a bit smug at that. 

It went on like this. Whenever Yohan saw the two boys together the same ugly jealousy reared its head and sometimes he could not help himself but be a bit petty, but mostly it was relaxed between them. And sometimes there were moments were he felt incredible restlessness and the urge to step in and keep Junho to himself overcame him. 

Like breakfast two days ago. Yohan had sat with Byungchan who had been chattering away happily about the newest letter from his pen pal but he had only been half listening, eyes transfixed on the two Ravenclaws huddled close. They had been talking with Eunsang too, but Yohan had ignored that detail and focussed on them, the way Sihoon’s hand lingered on Junho’s shoulder a bit longer than necessary, the way he leaned his head against him as he laughed one time. 

When they had both gotten up to leave the Great Hall, Yohan had jumped up too, ready to intercept them but Byungchan had caught his sleeve. 

“You know we still have like twenty minutes left before we need to be at divination, right?” he had asked and Yohan had remembered that he too had a schedule and no right to interfere with Junho’s friendships. Even if they made him jealous. So he had sat down again. 

The thought made a bitter taste appear in his mouth as he strode down the halls now, two days later, and just fresh out of the shower after Quidditch practise. He was on his way to the Ravenclaw tower to visit Junho for a bit. The castle hallways were empty save for some students and Yohan luckily reached the top of the staircase just in time to see someone enter the common room and called out to them. 

He didn’t know the girl who let him in but thanked her before he looked for Junho. His friend was seated on a sofa between Sihoon and Eunsang, with the latter looking incredibly bored. Yohan caught his eye and smiled. Eunsang jumped up as he saw him and came closer. 

“The lost boy returns!” he said. “You haven’t been over in like three weeks!” 

Yohan nodded and scratched the back of his head sheepishly. 

“Yeah,” he said. “I had a lot going on.” Eunsang just grinned. 

“Well, have fun.” he replied teasingly. “Maybe you can get them off topic. I tried but they both just ignored me and kept on talking about….” 

Eunsang looked at the two boys still deep in conversation and trailed off. 

“Actually, I don’t even know what they are talking about, I didn’t get a word. But yeah, have fun,” he added and patted Yohan’s shoulder with a happy grin before he started hurrying towards the stairs to the dorms. Shortly before the stairs he jumped onto the back of a familiar short person who almost toppled over at the added weight. 

“Yah, Lee Eunsang, are you trying to kill me?” Wooseok whined, but did not try to fight the younger off. He really had a soft spot for the boy after all. Yohan grinned and turned around again. After a short pep talk to himself he decided to just go and do whatever felt like a good idea. 

So he stepped towards the sofa and sat down on Eunsang’s abandoned seat cross legged after toeing off his shoes.. Sihoon smiled and nodded at him mid-sentence but kept on talking while Junho didn’t even react. Yohan nodded back with a smile and tried to listen what they were talking about - it sounded a whole lot like History of Magic. 

With a small smile Yohan scooted closer to his friend who still had his back turned to him, and wrapped his arms around the younger’s waist. Then he carefully started pulling him towards himself until Junho was leaning against his chest and was halfway in his lap. Junho didn’t flinch or shy away from his touch but let himself be handled and placed his hand on Yohan’s after he was comfortable against him. Yohan couldn’t help but feel satisfaction coursing through his veins at this small sign of affection. Plus the way Sihoon’s eyes widened slightly at how they interacted might have added to it. 

It felt nice to feel the warm smaller body against his chest, the way he easily reached around Junho and could pull him in. The boy radiated warmth and a sense of security and reassurance for Yohan; it told him that everything was fine between them, that he didn’t have to worry - about their friendship at least. Junho’s thumb slowly stroked over the back of Yohan’s hand, in rhythm with his breathing as he continued speaking. 

Possessiveness bloomed in Yohan as he observed the behaviour of his classmate and his best friend. Sihoon seemed almost glowing, a soft smile and attentive gaze directed at the fifth year in Yohan’s arms. He was nodding along to what Junho was explaining and occasionally added his own two cents, proactively trying to keep the conversation going and interesting. They seemed deep into a topic that Yohan was embarrassingly unknowledgeable about, but he didn’t take it to heart. 

Junho seemed to enjoy the talk and that alone was enough reason for him to not try to distract him from it. He was smiling and speaking with emphasis, voice clear and confident on the matter at hand. Like Sihoon, his eyes were trained on the other but their glow was familiar in a different way to Yohan. He noticed when he placed his chin on Junho’s shoulder and peered around him to study his expression. It was a glow he always saw when Junho was really into a topic and his brain was already five sentences ahead of him instead of really noticing the world around him. It was both adorable and so very Junho that Yohan couldn’t help but smile fondly. 

He decided to leave the two boys to their talk, but stay as Junho wasn’t trying to get away from him and Sihoon seemed to have just accepted his presence after the initial shock. Yohan shuffled around a bit to lean sideways against the backrest of the sofa and tightened his grip on Junho’s waist slightly before he leaned forward and laid his cheek on the younger’s shoulder. They stayed like this for the rest of the evening.

However, the jealousy remained, and it bothered Yohan. He couldn’t shake it off or ignore it and it was starting to worry him greatly. This was just not right, this didn’t feel right. He knew he had to face the whole issue and his emotions at some point but he wasn’t sure that this was it already. 

Like the situation he was in right at this very moment. Again, he had found himself in the library with Junho, as they had so many times before. And everything had been fine for Yohan until Sihoon had shown up.

Yohan and Junho had been sitting huddled over their respective homework with Yohan giving some advice about DADA to Junho and the younger hurriedly scribbling it down while Yohan dutifully ignored his Divination homework for the time being. They had both started on their essays when Sihoon had quietly approached the table.

To his surprise he had been in search of Yohan.

"I guess I thought I would find you were Junho would be, so I came here," he had said with an amused smile. "I have a question regarding our Charms homework, could you help me with that?" 

Yohan couldn't turn the boy down. Sihoon was an incredibly sweet and kind boy after all so how could he treat him any other way? It would have felt wrong and Yohan cursed the jealousy rearing up inside him as the boy had taken a seat opposite of them. 

It had turned out to be a in depth question on their current magical theory, but as soon as Yohan had explained the core magic, Sihoon had understood the rest on his own and they had discussed the task of spell adaptation they had been given.

Junho had zoned out on them in the meantime and had become fully focused on his homework - at least that's what Yohan and Sihoon had thought until the younger had slumped forward with a small snore and had almost hit his head on the table. 

His surprised but bleary expression when he had shot up again sent Yohan and Sihoon in a laughing fit each while Junho had tried to gather his bearings and return to the world of the living. His pout had had Yohan coo at him and Sihoon giggle behind his hand. 

"Well, seems like you two can put me to sleep well," he had tried to defend himself, but Yohan had just giggled on while Sihoon had reached over the table to pat the younger Ravenclaw's hand. He had softly stroked the back of it with an obviously fond expression on his face as Junho had stared at both him and Yohan with a still lingering pout. 

Yohan's smile had slowly slipped off his face as he observed Sihoon's behaviour and he had sat back up while clearing his throat and sorting through his notes to return to his original homework - divination. After he had stared shortly at the notes he had excused himself from the table to look for a certain book.

So here he was, staring blankly at the divination shelf he needed with the book he actually needed right in front of his eyes, but unmoving for the past 10 minutes. Instead, he had been stewing in his head, going over the encounters of the last weeks over and over again, as he slowly reached to what he hoped was a conclusion to take a plan of action.

Number One: Sihoon liked Junho. He had actively searched contact with him through a mutual friend and housemate to get to know him better. He spent a lot of time with him, and was incredibly kind, patient and thoughtful - even more than usual. His casual touches had increased and the moment just then back at the table had Yohan convinced. He had seen so much emotion in his eyes, so glaringly obvious affection and fondness that it seemed impossible Junho hadn't noticed.

Because Number Two: Junho was completely and utterly oblivious to every single attempt of Sihoon to catch his attention. He acted around him like he did with his friends, like he did with Jungmo or Eunsang. Granted, the boy had opened up to Sihoon impressively fast, but apart from that he didn't seem to different. 

But even as his best friend, Yohan had to admit it was hard to read Junho at times. He wasn't always in tune with how he expressed his emotions and how exactly he was to understand others. Yohan couldn't be sure if he saw Sihoon's affection the same way he did for example Seungwoo's, or if he tried to reciprocate but didn't exactly know how because he relied on what he knew. Or maybe Yohan just missed something.

And speaking of missing: Number Three stared at him accusatory and forcing him to face a reality he had gladly avoided up until now. Yohan had undeniably started falling for Junho. When, he wasn't sure of but he knew that the extreme jealousy coupled with the possessiveness he felt for Junho went beyond a simple friendship.

Yohan had never encountered the same emotions before when Junho had interacted with their friends, had spent time with them or had been affectionate towards them. Instead, a happy warmth had coursed through him at seeing the happiness his friend had exuded, and joy at knowing that he was fine like this. 

But none of them had ever looked at Junho the same way Sihoon did, none had ever caused jealousy in Yohan. Whenever he saw Junho with Sihoon he felt the need to pull the other close, to prevent Sihoon from reaching further out to him. He revelled in the closeness Junho had grown accustomed to over the past years and always felt regret when he had to let him go again. 

He loved to hug and hold the younger close, to bury is nose in his hair or his neck if Junho let him, to just breathe in the familiar smell he had grown to love - first as a friend, and now laced with a deeper emotion. It felt like home to see him, to hear his voice, his beautiful laughter, the way his eyes seemed to twinkle when he was amused. The way he sometimes scolded Yohan, or gave sassy replies but never responded harshly to him. The way he made Yohan feel indescribably happy.

He had to figure this out, and he couldn't burden Junho with it, couldn't put the pressure of Yohan's and Sihoon's feelings on him and expect him to find a solution. And furthermore, he couldn't get cold and defensive everytime Sihoon showed up, couldn't get to possessive over Junho. Both boys deserved honest and genuine behaviour that correlated with their actions towards Yohan. He couldn't just have his emotions rule him. 

But it felt like a dark swirl that was slowly sucking him into a void where he couldn't think, couldn't act or react, couldn't sort out anything. Only his most basic emotions were reaching him and he hated this. He hated how he felt left out and at the same time wouldn't allow himself to change that because it would be irrational. He hated how his mind and heart were so out of tune that he could hardly function at times. He hated how he got focused with tunnel vision on Junho only and a side of him screamed 'Mine!' when he knew he had no right to lay any claim upon the younger. He hated how his thoughts turned in circles, and circles and wouldn't let him out, wouldn't let him stop, wouldn't become clear, wouldn't…

Arms circled around his waist and a body pressed against his back. Yohan opened his eyes and looked at the bookshelf in front of him. When had he closed his eyes? Familiar warmth soaked into his back as the person leaned their head against Yohan's shoulder and sighed.

"In know there's something bothering you," Junho mumbled quietly. "I know you're getting sucked into your head again, and that it's been going on for a while. I noticed."

His tone sounded a bit worried and sad and Yohan's heart twisted. The arms around his waist tightened again and Yohan felt almost choked up.

"I know there's something up and you're not telling me," the younger concluded, but no accusation was behind his words. Only a statement.

"And you don't have to tell me. But if you get sucked in again, just come to me so you stay grounded. You know you don't have to explain anything, right?" 

The words were muffled against Yohan's sweater but loud and clear to him. A tight rope seemed to loosen around his chest and he felt like he could breathe more freely again. His clenched hands relaxed against his sides and he lifted one to lay it on Junho's. 

"I know," he croaked out. "I just…" 

But there were no words, nothing he could explain. For now at least and Junho nodded against his back. 

"Come to me anytime, I'm here, okay?" he said. "Just… talk whenever you feel ready."

Understanding. That was the only thing Yohan could detect in his words. Understanding and affection. He nodded and hummed quietly. Junho's head moved behind his back and Yohan felt a featherlight press against his nape, soft and gentle, before it vanished and the arms around his waist loosened and retracted. He didn't turn around as steps slowly gained distance from him and stayed were he was.

A few more minutes. He needed a few more minutes to gather himself. Then he would go back.

.oO°Oo.

Seungwoo had been wholly engrossed in a book Seungyoun had recommended to him when Yohan had suddenly stood in front of him. The younger looked worried, teeth worrying his lip and hands clenching and unclenching the seam of his pullover. His eyes were blown wide and filled with something almost akin to fear. Instead of asking, Seungwoo had just shuffled sideways to make space for the younger who had promptly sat down and leaned against Seungwoo’s shoulder. 

Silence had surrounded them after, Yohan obviously gathering his thoughts and how to express them and Seungwoo calmly finishing the chapter he was reading before he closed the book and lean forward to place it on the table in front of the sofa. The Hufflepuff common room was fortunately empty with most people either out to study or meet friends around the castle. Seungwoo enjoyed these quiet afternoons, when only quiet chatter wafted through the large room, and the warm and toasty sofas near the large fireplaces were unoccupied. 

He leaned back into the corner between the arm and the backrest of the sofa, one arm thrown over the rest and the other coming to rest around Yohan’s shoulder. The younger was still completely caught up with his thoughts, eyes unfocused and far away. His fingers had started fiddling with a loose thread from his pullover. 

“I won’t give up on him,” he eventually said. Seungwoo blinked and tried to understand what he was talking about, but he only drew a blank. 

“I know I should support him in whatever makes him happy, but I just can’t let him go. He’s too important to me,” Yohan continued with a distraught voice, as if he himself couldn’t believe what he was saying. Seungwoo had hardly ever heard him sound like this, but with everything he gathered he jumped to the most logical conclusion. 

“Junho?” he asked gently and got a nod in reply from the Gryffindor. Figured. 

“You’ll have to elaborate a bit for me to understand, Yohan.” he warmly tried to coax his friend into talking, because a quiet Yohan - especially with this expression - was usually way to deep down the rabbit hole of his own thoughts. And the boy had a habit of getting lost there. 

“Why would you have to let him go in the first place?” he prodded further. 

“Because,” Yohan replied, “Sihoon might just be the better choice for him than me.” 

Seungwoo hummed in understanding - he had noticed that Sihoon and Junho had started spending more time, but he wouldn’t have judged it to be quite that serious. Sure, Sihoon was extremely friendly with the younger but he was a friendly person in general as far as Seungwoo knew him. He could to a certain extent understand what Yohan meant: Where Yohan was loud, Sihoon was gentle quietness. Where Yohan was raw energy, Sihoon was controlled. Where Yohan was chaotic, Sihoon was organised. On first glance he seemed like a perfect match for their shy little robot Junho. 

On the other hand Yohan was Junho’s second half, his catalyst for his loud, weird, energetic phases, for his sass and also his most gentle moments. Seungwoo adored those two and it was almost impossible for him to not think of them together in some way - they just complimented and completed each other so wonderfully. 

“Why would you think that?” he asked and tried to keep any accusation out of his voice. Yohan must’ve reached his conclusion for a reason after all. 

“Because Sihoon is not an emotional burden to Junho as I am.” Seungwoo sighed inwardly - again, Yohan had ignored his own worth. 

“But Junho is too important to me. I can’t just sit back and look on,” he continued and Seungwoo nodded lightly. 

“Because he is your best friend?” he inquired. Yohan bit his lip and took a breath before he looked at the older with determination strong in his eyes. 

“Because he is my friend - and so much more,” he claimed, voice unwavering. Now this was surprising to Seungwoo. Not in a bad way, but surely a bit unexpected. He decided to wait for Yohan to explain it. 

“I don’t think it’s only friendship for Junho that I feel - probably hasn’t been for a long time - but now that something between us changed and he might be going further from me I don’t think I can let that happen,” he explained. 

“It’s just,” Yohan sighed and rubbed his face, “that I feel awful for being this… this… egotistic. I should support him in anyway, and I should let him make his own decisions in this matter, but I get so jealous whenever I see him with Sihoon that I can’t help trying…” 

He trailed off and Seungwoo raised an eyebrow at him.

“Can’t help doing what?” he tried prodding again and Yohan rubbed his face again before he threw up his hands in what seemed to be frustration. 

“Try to drive him away! In whatever way possible! To keep him at a reasonable distance, to show him that Junho is..” he trailed off again, but now Seungwoo’s interest was piqued. 

“That Junho is what?” he asked with eyes narrowed in amused curiosity. He already had a hunch what Yohan might mean but he wanted to hear it from the younger. Yohan flushed bright red and he avoided eye contact with the older as he pulled up his knees to his chest and hid his blushing face against them. His voice was almost inaudible as he whispered his answer. 

“That Junho is… mine.” Seungwoo couldn’t help but grin before he tried to bring his features back into a mask of loving support. So Yohan was territorial after all. Not really surprising with his habit of clinging to Junho and how he sometimes seemed a bit smug about it - especially if Junho had just fought off a clingy Eunsang, but accepted Yohan wrapping around him like a six foot koala. Up until now Seungwoo had chalked it up to fondness but apparently there had been a spark of something else. Something Yohan - judging by his reaction - hadn’t been aware of either. 

“You try to be possessive?” Seungwoo asked after giving the younger a moment to fight back his blush. Yohan nodded with his face still against his legs. 

“And how does it go?” Yohan looked desperate as he looked up at that. 

“I don’t think it really has an effect,” he whined. “Sihoon is still getting closer every time, and Junho doesn’t seem to notice it because he is just so adorably oblivious.” 

His words left his mouth more quickly than Yohan’s brain-to-mouth-filter had apparently checked them, because he was left with an open mouthed stare as he processed what he had just said. By now, Seungwoo was unable to fight back his grin. 

“So I guess you came to another conclusion?” he asked smugly but tried not to sound condescending. Yohan was right after all, Junho was oblivious and adorable, but usually this wouldn’t be a problem for his friend. Everything he wanted the other to notice he would just bring up. So this had to be something he couldn’t talk to Junho about, and if he connected the dots to the jealousy Yohan had mentioned, there was only one conclusion. 

“I won’t ignore what I’m feeling for him, hyung,” Yohan said. “I don’t want to. And it’s a huge risk I am taking with this, because I could ruin something for my best friend _ and _ ruin our friendship too if this backfires.” 

Seungwoo drummed his fingers on the armrest as he pondered over Yohan’s words for a moment before he looked at Yohan and tried to catch the younger’s eyes. 

“It could backfire,” he started out slowly and Yohan’s eyes widened. “But it probably won’t.” 

Now confusion became the prominent emotion on the younger’s face. 

“What I mean with this is that if you would actually bother Junho, he would talk to you. Let’s be honest here, the boy wouldn’t just let you do anything if he didn’t want it. And he might be oblivious but if he wanted to return Sihoon’s feelings, it would be out of his own volition.”

Yohan’s mouth formed the adorable little pouty ‘oh’ he always had when he was thinking and Seungwoo almost cooed. 

“If he talks to you about being less possessive,” Yohan flailed at his words and Seungwoo quickly corrected, “clingy, less clingy I mean. If he says you should stop it, you should respect it and ideally explain yourself then.” 

Yohan blanched at the thought. 

“Now if you confess and he doesn’t return the sentiment, it will be awkward for a while. I can promise you as much, and there is no use sugar coating it,” Seungwoo said thoughtfully and felt how Yohan tensed under his arm. 

“But there is one thing you shouldn’t take out of consideration,” he added and Yohan looked up. “Junho is your best friend too, and you are as important to him as he is to you. So as long as you don’t act like a completely inconsiderate idiot, he will want to stay friends, don’t you think?” 

Yohan seemed complacent at that and slowly leaned back. 

“Guess I got caught up with a negative thinking again,” he mumbled to no one in particular and Seungwoo chuckled a bit. 

“Alright,” he exclaimed suddenly and Seungwoo’s eyebrows shot up. “I’m gonna do it.” 

Yohan hit his fist into his palm before he turned to Seungwoo with puppy eyes. 

“But hyung, it’s seriously so frustrating to see those two so close all the time…” 

And with that Yohan went off on a long rant about many different situations involving his newfound nemesis, love interest and himself. Seungwoo listened intently and replied but tried not to egg the other on. Yohan needed to blow off steam and frustration, but he shouldn’t kindle a fire that might end up disastrous if the younger’s irrational anger flared up. It was relieving to see, however, that Yohan occasionally mentioned how he himself was fond of Sihoon too - they were classmates after all.

It took the Gryffindor almost an hour before he seemed to have calmed down and cleared his head again. Exhausted he slumped back against the sofa just to shoot up again just as Seungwoo had been about to pull him close for a cuddle. 

“I need to go to the library again!” he called with panic in his voice. Seungwoo frowned. 

“Do you really think they are still in there?” he asked doubtfully. “It’s almost time for dinner.” 

Yohan shook his head and turned around. 

“No, not them. But I left all my stuff up there earlier when I came here!” Seungwoo almost face-palmed. This was so much like the younger. Of course he’d hurry off to figure something out and forget everything else over it. A short glance at the clock assured him that it was only fifteen more minutes until dinner would start. 

“Well, knowing Junho he probably took it with him,” he said unhurried and watched how Yohan’s face practically lit up at that. “Let’s go to dinner first and see if he has before you sprint up there.” 

Yohan nodded enthusiastically at that and pulled the older up in a hurry, suddenly vibrating with excitement as he headed towards the door of the common room. Seungwoo stretched his arms over his head and heard his joints pop loudly before he followed after the excited Gryffindor.

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooof, me being dramatic caused this. Thoughts?
> 
> Talk to us in the comments or on twitter...


	17. You see - or you don't

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You'll probably get lactose intolerant from this, because this is loads od unnecessary descriptions to set up the cheesiest mood that ever cheesed. Have fun!

He had been right about Junho bringing Yohan’s bag. When Seungwoo returned to the common room later - this time with Hyeongjun latched onto him - and breathed deeply as he let himself fall onto his favourite sofa again. Hyeongjun squawked but went down with him without hesitation and snuggled into Seungwoo's side.

Seungwoo wrapped an arm around the small boy and closed his eyes. He should probably take a nap before he finished his homework or he would be absolutely useless for the rest of the evening. 

Warm and gentle fingers touched his forehead and played with the strands of his bangs. Hyeongjun had propped himself up a bit on his arm, half laying on the older's chest, and was engrossed in his hair. Seungwoo let the eye he had opened a bit slip shut again and enjoyed the ministrations of the younger instead. It was relaxing and lulled him into an almost dazed state.

"Your hair is getting really long by now," Hyeongjun mused. "You should cut it soon or you won't be able to see anything through your bangs." 

He pushed apart some of the strands as if he was opening a curtain before he brushed them back. The hair tickled as it was brushed over his eyelids and forehead and Hyeongjun combed his fingers through it again. Seungwoo raised his head and playfully nuzzled his nose against the warm hand on his head, coaxing a giggle out of the younger.

"I'll cut it before Christmas," he commented.

"Why only then?" Hyeongjun asked and shuffled so he was laying on Seungwoo's chest with his arms under his chin. 

"Why not earlier? You could do it with a spell yourself." 

Seungwoo blanched at that and Hyeongjun chuckled at the expression of horror that crossed his face.

"Or ask Wooseokie-hyung to do it for you if you don't want to," he added like an afterthought. Seungwoo opened his eyes and looked at the small boy. Expectant wide eyes met his and he couldn't help but smile.

"Christmas," he said, gentle but with a decisive finality. Hyeongjun shrugged and laid his cheek against Seungwoo's chest.

"Alright, but don't come crying to me if you can't see anymore," he commented with faux innocence and Seungwoo shortly pinched his side in retaliation.

"I can still see," he pouted but left it at that. Hyeongjun, too, seemed to be tired by now and closed his eyes. Seungwoo relaxed his head back into the pillows on the sofa and let his eyes slip shut. 

He should probably cut his hair, it was getting to long. His bangs reached almost all the way down over his eyes. But he would wait another month, wait until Seungsik would be home for Christmas holiday. The younger had written that he was definitely coming home in his last letter.

It was a sort of tradition for them; only Seungsik was allowed to cut Seungwoo's hair for him. Seungwoo wasn't too talented at it himself. 

It had been during their fifth year, a few weeks before the end of the school year. Seungwoo had spent a lot of time in the green houses around that time after several plants, he had tried to grow, had finally started to make seedlings. He went to check on them every day after school with enough time on his hands as O.W.L.s had finished five days ago. 

Seungsik accompanied him, as he always did. The younger’s patience was godsend, as he would either chat with Seungwoo as he tended to his plants, or engross himself in a book. It resulted in slow, relaxed afternoons in the warm and humid air of the greenhouses. Seungsik tucked into a corner or perched onto a table with his legs crossed as Seungwoo bustled about. Occasionally, Professor Sejeong joined them for a while, swirling into the greenhouse accompanied by her butterflies and with a whiff of freshly cut grass surrounding her. 

She had taught Seungwoo some songs the plants liked a few years ago when she found him humming a lullaby to the mandragoras in an attempt to make them sleepy, and her melodious voice always preceded her arrival. Several times she had shooed them out just before the curfew started, both of them forgetting that the light of the setting sun was not just beautiful but also a sign for them to return to the castle. 

Several evenings had been spent like this, now that the stress of examinations was not looming over them anymore. Evenings bathed in soft golden sunlight, as the sun slowly set over the forbidden forest, casting a magical atmosphere over the school grounds. Evenings spent with long walks along the lake and past the edge of the forest towards the Whipping Willow after checking on Seungwoo’s plants.

Evenings spent in quiet conversation, excited exchanges, reminiscent of their time together and apart. They retold stories, dug out memories from years and days ago, discussed past, future, and present and revelled in the contentedness of each other’s presence. Sometimes, they would walk quietly, no words exchanged, eyes flitting over the familiar grounds and only their shoulders bumping occasionally as if acknowledging that it was just them, alone and together. 

Contrary to his usually show of affection through physical means, Seungwoo kept to himself a lot more with Seungsik. Not because he felt insecure or uncomfortable, but because he knew that even the smallest gestures were more than familiar and comprehensible for Seungsik. He knew the younger could read his every mood through the smallest of signs, little hints he gathered throughout the day and then acted upon. 

Seungsik was lively and affectionate, but his presence was like a rock in the waves for Seungwoo. He grounded him and kept him calm, enabled him to let go of his worries and fears, share his happiness and sorrow, understood small annoyances and moments of joy alike. Like a wave of calmness washing over him whenever he felt the other step up next to him, their arms barely touching, and a slight heat that Seungwoo probably imagined radiating through their robes. 

To him, Seungsik was soft smiles and crescent eyes disappearing with mirth, honey coloured hair reflecting the sunlight, a little finger linked with his, hidden by the sleeves of their robes. He was nights on the Astronomy tower, looking up at constellations, afternoons spent in the greenhouses as rain fell on the roof, evenings in an almost empty common room, watching the embers die out and gentle words whispered between them. 

Sometimes, they would be more openly affectionate, more physical, more obvious. A hand grabbed as it layed on the table in the great hall, gentle teasing, an arm slinging around his waist and face pressing against his back. Gentle affection, soft moments, not interrupting, but seamlessly interwoven into their everyday life. 

Fingers gently caressed the back of Seungwoo’s neck as he leaned over the flower pots to inspect the leaves and buds. The hand was slightly rough, small calluses on the tips of Seungsik’s fingers. It made Seungwoo shiver a bit before he stood up straight and turned around to face the younger. Seungsik was close, and their noses brushed for a moment as he kept his hand on the back of Seungwoo’s neck. His eyes crinkled in fondness as his lips curled into a smile. 

“Your eyes.” he giggled and Seungwoo blinked. He had gone a bit cross eyed from the proximity. Seungsik’s expression smoothed out again, with only a hint of amusement still clinging to the corners of his eyes as he let his gaze shift over the older. The hand that had rested on his neck disappeared and softly brushed against his jaw before Seungsik raised it to thread his fingers through Seungwoo’s bangs. 

“It’s getting long,” he mentioned casually. “It’s like a curtain.” 

Seungwoo averted his eyes for a second before he looked back at Seungsik. His hair almost obstructed his view as he regained eye contact. 

“True,” came his reply, “but I’ll just have it cut over summer break.” 

Seungsik wrinkled his forehead, his fingers still playing with his fringe. Soft strands got wrapped around long fingers that brushed against the prefect’s skin as they moved. 

“That’s still a few weeks to go,” he remarked. “You’ll look like a mop by then and trip over your own feet.” 

Seungwoo had to agree but smiled embarrassedly. 

“Do you remember when I came to the Great Hall looking like a Hippogriff had tried to rip my hair out?” he asked and Seungsik chuckled with a nod. “That was what happened when I tried to cut it with magic. After I failed with cutting it by hand.” 

An amused but sympathetic expression flew over the other’s face as he remembered the embarrassed face of the older. His hair had looked extremely choppy for a day or two before the school nurse had taken pity on him slinking through the hallways and tried to even it out a bit more. It hadn’t ended up perfectly, but a lot better than before. So understandably, Seungwoo was a bit wary of messing with it again. 

A contemplative look crossed Seungsik’s face and he let his eyes wander over Seungwoo before he looked up with a smile again. His hand had left the olders hair and was instead resting against his collarbone, closely to his heart. The older was sure he could feel the beat, that even now, after several months together and friends even longer, still sped up in the proximity of the younger boy. 

Seungsik’s eyes flitted from Seungwoo’s dirty hands (he hadn’t worn gloves to tend to his plants) over his T-Shirt and Jeans that were splattered with mud, earth and some questionable plant liquids an overly enthusiastic slime chrysanthemum had shot at him. Specks of dirt were smeared onto his neck and bare arms. Seungsik lifted his hand again to wipe over a dollop of greenish mud on Seungwoo’s brow before he spoke again. 

“Let’s have a shower, you look like you need it. Where’s the prefect’s bathroom?” 

His words surprised Seungwoo, to say the least. He felt a blush spread over his cheeks and neck as his eyes grew in size. He stared at the younger in disbelief, still trying to get over the implication of his words.

“....What?” he asked hesitantly and cursed himself for the light wavering of his voice as he uttered the words. Seungsik caught his gaze, fond exasperation in his eyes and an amused smile on his lips.

“Oh my god, Han Seungwoo, get your head out of the gutter! That’s not what I meant!”, he called and let his hand fall to the older’s shoulder, gripping it. Though unaffected at first glance, Seungwoo could see the light blush high up on his cheekbones and the way the younger averted his eyes after just a second. Seungwoo felt the heat from earlier again as Seungsik had guessed exactly what shot through his head. 

“No, I didnt! I meant! I was just!” he stuttered in protest and lifted his hands as if to defend himself and show his innocence. His words left him and he stared at the other helplessly. For a moment, their eyes locked and they held contact before they both burst into laughter. Seungwoo leaned his head against Seungsik’s shoulder as peals of laughter fell from both their mouths. He felt the younger Hufflepuff’s shoulder shake with waves of mirth that hit him as they realised the ridiculousness of the situation. 

As they stood there, their laughter turned into chuckles and Seungwoo lifted his hand to gently grab Seungsik’s that was still on his shoulder. With a final chuckle he lifted his head and stepped towards the door, gently pulling the other with him. Seungsik followed without protest and closed the door behind them as they stepped into the light of the evening sun. It was still light enough to be out and about and groups of students were gathered at the shore of the lake or strolling over the grounds. 

Instead of joining them, Seungwoo lead their way back towards the castle gate. The grass was soft under their feet and the sunlight warm against their backs as they entered the Entrance Hall. It was almost deserted, only a few people passing through. Seungsik’s eyes trailed over the large windows at the end of the Great Hall as they passed the open doors and climbed up the Grand Staircase. 

The warm rays of the setting sun warmed his back from the windows above the large entrance gates of the castle, and he turned around as he reached the top of the stairs. With the Main Gate facing the Forbidden Forest, the sun was visible through the large stained glass windows as it touched the treetops. 

The windows had been restored after the battle of Hogwarts and showed a giant old oak tree with its branches spread out wide over almost the entire window front. Green leaves coloured the branches which seemed shine with silver and gold reflections hidden between the brown of the bark. Under the tree, all kind of creatures were gathered: from humans to fauns, goblins to centaurs, fae to satyrs, mantichors and sphinx, dragons and giants, almost innumerably many. A pond to the side even showed merfolk. All of them were gathered underneath the tree, peaceful and friendly. 

The lower bit of the picture continued the image with the tree’s root reaching into the earth beneath and reaching out to the sides. But apart from reaching downwards and stabilising the large tree, each root reached up again, up towards the surface were it connected to one of the creatures gathered beneath the tree. The roots curled gently around feet, hooves, ankles, reached through the water of the pond and connected to fins. 

It was a picture to show a wish: The wish of peace, of understanding and freedom from prejudice and violence among all creatures. The tree represented life in itself, and the magic behind it - the magic that all beings held. 

Seungsik loved the image the window showed, and he was fascinated everytime not just by the amount of details woven into it, but also the way in which the setting sun caused the colours of the picture to be spread through the room, painted the walls in colours and swirls. Green, red, yellow, blue - all colours danced over the walls, moved slowly towards the ceiling as the sun set further. It painted the people passing by in these same colours, and the air itself seemed to colour itself as swirls of dust danced in the golden rays.

A soft hand touching his wrist brought Seungsik out of his reverence and he felt Seungwoo step closer to him. He turned his head away from the window and towards the other, but anything he might have wanted to say was suddenly cleared from his head. Swirls of gold and green danced over Seungwoo’s face from the reflection, small specks of red flecked his robes. But in his eyes, Seungsik could not only see his own reflection, but also the reflection of the window, of the Magical Tree. 

Never before had he seen anyone more fitting to embody the image of peacefulness and beauty, intelligence and affection than the older Hufflepuff. Seungsik could see the affection, the adoration directed at him, reflected in the older’s eyes and he felt his pulse speed up. A pleasant warmth spread through his veins and once again he felt reminded of the intensity of his feelings for the other boy. Of the depth of their understanding for each other.

Seungwoo quirked a small smile and gently squeezed his hand as he laced their fingers together. He took a small step towards the corridor leading into the castle and pulled Seungsik with him.

“This way,” he said quietly. Seungsik was reminded where they were actually going and quickly followed after. He had gotten so lost in his reverence that everything else had vanished for a moment. 

“I see,” he muttered shyly, stepping up to walk next to his boyfriend when the older stumbled over a small gap in the stones of the floor. Seungsik couldn’t help his snort.

“But apparently you don’t,” he commented. Seungwoo straightened himself up and cleared his throat before he began striding forward again. A light blush coloured his neck and his eyes were hidden by his hair. Seungsik snickered a bit as he tried to keep up. 

Seungwoo led him through the corridors and up a staircase before he stopped on the fifth floor in front of the statue of Boris the Bewildered. Seungwoo muttered something that sounded like ‘Bubbelgum Fizz Bubble’ and stepped through the opening door. Seungsik glanced around the room curiously, his eyes passed over the window with a mermaid (Seungwoo always said she was curious), over the large empty bath in the middle of the room and the beautifully tiled floor, but Seungwoo pulled him towards a large alcove that lead to another room with several doors. The doors seemed to lead to individual shower stalls, and soft white towels were stacked in a shelf against an empty wall. 

Seungwoo let go of his hand and grabbed a towel before he turned around again. 

“I’ll be quick, just wait a minute.” He ended his sentence with a playful smile and stepped into the closest stall, while Seungsik smiled softly and turned around again as the door closed. The room truly was beautiful, and so he stepped out of the alcoven again to wander around the bath once more. Intricate swirls decorated and connected the individual tiles on the floor, but seemed to move as he stepped on them like seagrass in the current. 

Upon closer inspection, he could see that the floor of the bathtub was a mosaic showing something like a reef. Fishes flitted through corals and anemones, hiding in ridges and niches of stone and payfully circling each other. The anemones swayed from side to side in the current and light danced over the picture like the light coming from the surface of the water. Seungsik was mesmerised for a moment before he turned around. 

A soft noise had surprised him and as he looked up, he saw the mermaid in the glass window shifting on her stone. She glanced curiously at him her hair flowing and her fin moving up and down as she leaned forward. Suddenly, a silent giggle had her lift her hand - he saw translucent webs connecting her fingers - and she leaned back, her large eyes crinkling. She seemed to laugh about him. Seungsik smiled back and looked around the room again, his eyes catching a small stool next to the wall. An idea popped into his head. 

When Seungwoo stepped out of the shower a few minutes later, he had a towel hanging around his neck and his wet hair hung even past his eyes like this. The boy had changed from his dirty clothes into a set of fresh ones that he had stored in a locker in the washroom. A dopey smile appeared on his face when Seungsik softly called his name and he stepped closer, but his steps faltered a bit when he saw the scissors twinkling in Seungsik’s hand. Slight confusion took over as he carefully crossed the last few metres to Seungsik. 

“What are you planning?” he asked warily, eyes flitting between Seungsik’s hand, face and the door. The younger grinned and chuckled at the other boy. He was hardly something he could take serious with his hair in his eyes and that pouty face. 

“Sit down,” he replied cheekily. “I’m gonna cut your hair.”

Only the movement of Seungwoo’s fringe implied that he had raised his eyebrows. Seungsik pushed the stool away from the wall and towards Seungwoo, setting it into a spot that was illuminated by golden sunlight. The rays were already growing darker in colour, almost an orange bronze, as the sun got closer to setting. Luckily, they still had a bit of time left before it grew dark. At least, if Seungwoo could be convinced to let him cut his hair which didn’t seem likely for now.

“Seungsik I’m fine, I can see everything!” the older protested, a whiny edge creeping into his voice. His leg twitched and Seungsik held back a snicker - seems like Seungwoo could barely suppress the urge to stomp like a child. He had even crossed his arms and a pout adorned his lips. His eyes, however, remained hidden behind the curtain of hair. It was almost comical.

“Yeah sure,” Seungsik replied, voice laced with sarcasm, “and Osiris is a giant horned owl. Now sit down on that stool.”

Apparently his voice had been demanding enough for Seungwoo to relent. Slowly, the older shuffled towards the stool and sunk onto, shifting around a bit. Seungsik stepped forwards and nudged a knee against his legs that the older had kept together with his hands on his thighs. Sighing, he spread them and allowed Seungsik to step between them and lean down, so he was on the same height as him. 

“Stop moping,” he commented and gently pushed a finger against Seungwoo’s nose. “I’m not gonna give you some crazy hair, I just want to cut it a bit so you don’t trip over everything all them time.”

A low grumble that sounded like muffled complaints came from the other, but the Hufflepuff decided to ignore it. He brushed his hand through Seungwoo’s hair to smooth out any remaining knots and then picked out strands to start cutting. Carefully, he moved around him, checking that he was cutting evenly.

Seungwoo had closed his eyes when Seungsik had started cutting along his forehead to avoid getting hair into his eyes. But by now he sensed how the other straightened before hands brushed through his hair to comb out the loose ends and look for leftover long strands. When the ticklish feeling of hairs falling over his face ceased, he opened his eyes and his breath caught for a moment. 

Seungsik’s face was close to his but his gaze was focussed on his hair instead. The younger leaned over him as he shortened some more strands. Seungwoo’s eyes wandered over his features, his nose, the slant of his eyes, the curve of his jaw. Shadows were cast on his face, light and dark specks intermingling as he moved around slightly. The older’s eyes wandered lower to Seungsik’s lips that were slightly parted. He observed how his tongue peeked out for a second as he concentrated, how they moved occasionally. 

He got so lost in his observation that he didn’t notice how Seungsik’s hands stopped brushing through his hair as he finished his work. He didn’t even notice the younger looking at him, gaze now shifted to his eyes as he watched Seungwoo. The hand holding the scissors moved to his pocket to put the tool away before he laid the hand on the older’s shoulder. 

“Where are you looking?” he asked. Seungwoo’s eyes flew up at that, but there was no accusation in Seungsik’s gaze, only a genuine curiosity and a slight breathlessness in his voice. Seungwoo didn’t know what to answer. His words had left him the moment their eyes locked and all his senses honed in on Seungsik. 

The younger’s eyes flitted back and forth between his and dropped down to his lips for a moment before they came back up. The hand on his shoulder moved and went to slide to the junction of his shoulder and neck, gently brushing over the soft skin there. A shiver wrecked Seungwoo and he felt goosebumps on his skin, but he couldn’t tear his eyes from Seungsik’s.

The hand slowly crept up his neck and cupped his jaw, a thumb brushing over his cheekbone. He felt warmth pool in his abdomen, and a slight flutter in his heart. For a moment, they stayed like this, illuminated by the last remaining rays falling through the window. When had the sun set? He couldn’t remember, but twilight had crept up on them and only a sliver of golden light was still falling through the window. It illuminated Seungsik’s blonde hair, giving him a halo and Seungwoo felt reminded of an angel for a moment, before his breath hitched. 

The hand on his jaw twitched and another came up to cup his other cheek as Seungsik leaned down slowly. It was like time slowing down and Seungwoo observed how the light seemed to catch in the younger’s lashes for a second before their noses brushed gently. A warm puff of air hit his lips and he noticed how Seungsik studied his eyes for another second before his lids slipped shut. 

Seungwoo unconsciously lifted his hands, long fingers gently encircling the younger’s wrists and pulling him in the last centimetre. Their lips touched softly, a chaste kiss and they stayed like this for a moment or two. Seungsik pulled back a bit but Seungwoo tightened his grip on his wrists and leaned forward to capture his lips again. 

Just as softly as before he connected them, but moved his lips after a second. Seungsik responded, tilting his head a bit and leaned closer again. His hands still held Seungwoo’s jaw, just as gently as before, and his thumb continued stroking over his cheekbone. Warmth flooded him. No fireworks exploded, no big revelation came to pass. But his heart sang and all his senses were focussed on the boy kissing him as the sun set completely over the forest and the room became darker. 

.oO°Oo.

He was a man on a mission. Sneaky, intelligent, ready to fight. No one could stop him, no one would even knew he was there. He was a shadow in the night, a figure in the dark, a movement one might see from the corner of their eye but when they looked, nothing would be there. He was like Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible, he was 007 (just without the Martini) - mysterious and powerful. He was gliding through the shadows, flew up the stairs. 

His foot caught on the final step and with a yelp, Jinhyuk went down. His yell echoed through the empty corridor and for a moment he froze before he rolled sideways on the floor. He had to hide in case his voice had alarmed anyone! But his phenomenal spy instincts would lead him well; his head hit the foot of the armour he had forgotten was standing next to the staircase and a loud clash reverberated through the hallway. 

For the second time he froze, hand clasping his head as he looked up just to see the helmet tip off the armour and start falling. In a flurry of gangly limbs he scrambled to catch it before it landed and leapt forward, only to skid another metre on his belly like a penguin and with the helmet barely in his grasp. Well, more Johnny English than James Bond, but comedy had always been his strong suit after all. 

Alright, but first he had to get out of here. All his sneak was worthless now and he needed to get away before someone caught him. He jumped up, put the the helmet back onto the armour (slightly lopsided, but fashionable for the late 1500s or a failed beheading) and started on a mad dash down the hallway as quick as his long legs carried him. He was running a lot these days, but at least he wasn’t dragging a certain headboy into it this time. His heart still sped up when he thought about their moment in the broom cabinet. 

Before he could blush and giggle like a schoolgirl (again), he banished the thought to the back of his head and concentrated on running instead. By now, he probably looked less like James Bond and more like the pink panther - all gangly limbs and hurrying down a corridor. At least, no one had caught him yet. When he was sure he was save, he slowed down a bit and let out a deep sigh. Okay, back to business it was. 

Carefully he glanced around the corner towards the spindly staircase leading up into the tower. In a seemingly never ending spiral it went further and further up until he finally reached the top and stood in front of the large heavy wooden door with a door knocker formed like an eagle. As he rested his hands against his knees to catch his breath, the eagle turned his head and fixed him with a glare. Jinhyuk straightened with a gulp. 

This was the truly tricky part. If he was lucky, the eagle only cared about the right answer to enter, like the Fat Lady did with Gryffindors. If he was unlucky, however, it might tell on him. As long as the eagle was quiet, he’d be fine. And as long as he could answer the riddle.

“What,” the eagle started, its voice sounding a bit tinny, “walks on four legs in the morning, on two on midday, and on three in the afternoon?”

Jinhyuk blinked a few times before an idea shot through his head. He looked at the eagle, voice full of confidence as he replied. 

“A dog with arthritis.” 

Stunned silence. The eagle opened and closed its beak several times before it shook its head. 

“Well, you’re not wrong,” he stated, bafflement laced into its voice. “Guess I’ll count it. In you go, boy.” 

The door swung open. Jinhyuk smiled gratefully at the eagle knocker and stepped past the threshold, gently pulling the door closed behind him. Part One - get to the Ravenclaw tower unseen and acquire access - was a full success. Perfect. And considering the time, no one would still be awake. He glanced towards the clock over the fireplace: the handles pointed to quarter past two. On a weekday, even the most ambitious Ravenclaw would be wiped out by now. A chuckle escaped Jinhyuk as he glanced around the room. 

The view from the windows was impressive by day, but in the darkness of the night the mountains weren’t visible. He had been here before, several times to be precise. Either one of the kids had let him in, or he was here for a study session or partner work with another Ravenclaw. The room was familiar but still impressed him every single time. The domed ceiling with stars, the dark carpets, the amounts of bookshelves and the cozy sofas, armchairs and chairs scattered throughout the circular room truly caught his fancy. 

But he wasn’t here to philosophise on upholstered furniture and architecture, but to rearrange the interior design a bit. A giggle rose up in his throat at the thought and he almost cackled out loud when he heard a quiet rustling. He froze for the third time this night and turned slowly to where the sound was coming from. He couldn’t see anything, but something was moving on the sofa in front if the fireplace. 

Drawing in a deep breath he started tiptoeing towards the back of the sofa, careful to make no sound. The rustling had stopped, but he didn’t dare to let down his caution. He held his breath and slowly leaned over the back of the sofa, body tense and ready to run. He could see a tangled blanket and a lump under it that looked like a body. Someone had fallen asleep on the sofa. Sighing internally, Jinhyuk snuck around the furniture to see who it was. 

The body looked rather small, so maybe it was a younger student. But the prefects would have woken him when coming back from their rounds, wouldn’t they? Carefully, he crouched down but almost fell onto his behind in surprised. Snuggled deeply into the blanket with his head half hidden under it, was no other than Wooseok. Jinhyuk wasn’t sure if he was happy to see him or cursed his luck. 

He knew that if Wooseok woke up during the execution of his plan, he would be in trouble, but waking the boy to get him to bed would get him into just as much trouble because nothing would explain why he was in the Ravenclaw tower at almost half past two. But leaving him here was too risky, and also detrimental for his back. Jinhyuk winced when he remembered how his joints had felt 50 years older after he had fallen asleep in the common room a while ago. And the only other option was to hex him into deafness until he was done, but he couldn’t bring himself to do that to the sleeping boy. 

The only options left were therefore retreat - or taking Wooseok to bed without waking him. Jinhyuk pondered over these choices for a minute before he nodded. Alright, here went nothing. 

Carefully, he stretched out his arms and pushed his hand under Wooseok’s legs while his other did the same under his neck to wrap around the Ravenclaw’s shoulders. Trying not to jostle the smaller too much, he inched closer and secured his grip before he carefully lifted him off the couch. His knees almost gave in when he tried to stand with the added weight, but once he was up it was fine. The younger wasn’t too heavy and he was small after all. Not inconsiderable in weight but he was fine. He was a Quidditch player, Kookheon would kick his ass if he hadn’t built up some muscle over the years.

His pep talk took effect and he stepped around the sofa, invigorated and ready to do this, when the younger made a soft sound and shifted. Jinhyuk stopped and attempted to breathe as evenly as possible as he stood still in the middle of the room. He hadn’t moved Wooseok a lot, and he was still wrapped in his blanket to keep him warm so he shouldn’t wake up. And Jinhyuk was in luck, it seemed, because the younger just turned his face to the side and snuggled into the Gryffindor’s sweater.

Jinhyuk felt his heart speed up as he felt the soft nuzzling through the woolen material. The skin on his chest warmed where Wooseok’s puffs of air hit the sweater and passed through the fabric. He watched as the slight frown on the younger’s face disappeared and he sighed, burying his nose in Jinhyuk’s chest contentedly. This was unexpected. Pleasant but unexpected. 

He took a slow step forward, carefully observing any possible changes in the younger but he seemed to be completely lost in dreamland. Jinhyuk smiled softly and directed his steps towards the stairs leading to the dorm rooms. He mastered the stairs surprisingly quick and ended up in one of the smaller side towers. He knew where the boy’s dorms were, but now the realization hit him that he had no idea where Wooseok’s room was, after all. 

Deciding on just going by trial and error, he stepped forward. If they went with the same system as Gryffindor, they placed the rooms in a order, with adjoining years occupying adjoining rooms. When the seventh years left, the new first years moved into their room and so all dorms rotated through the numbers over the years. Wooseok was seventh year, so he should be next to either sixth, first, or between those two - depending on where he ended up in the rotation. 

Jinhyuk racked his brain as he tried to remember where the kids’ rooms were. He knew that Junho was a fifth year, and Eunsang too - they shared a room - and they had dragged him along once. He was pretty sure that they were higher up in the side tower, if not even the highest floor. Thinking back now, their room had had a steep ceiling, like the top of a tower. And he remembered complaining about all the stairs. Now, if the fifth years were all the way up, the seventh years would be in the second room from where he was. 

Worth a try then. He glanced at the sleeping boy in his arms and started walking again as quiet as possible to not wake anyone else. He passed the first door without a glance and walked straight up a short flight of stairs to the adjoining tower part. As he stepped closer towards the wooden door, he noticed a small brass sign on the door. ‘7th Years’. A triumphant grin arose on his lips.

So far, so good. Now he just had to open the door, find Wooseok’s bed, in the dark, put him on it without waking him and leave again. In the dark. Without waking anyone. Easy-peasy. He could do this. This was nothing.

He was doomed.

First, the door. He turned his body around so he could place his elbow on the handle and push it down. Thankfully, it went easily and the door swung open slowly and smoothly without a sound. Jinhyuk tiptoed into the dark room, thankful for the light from the corridor torch and the moonlight to light up the room enough to make out shapes. He could spy an empty bed next to one of the windows and hurried towards it, careful not to step on anything or stumble. He glanced towards one of the other beds and saw Sejin’s sleeping figure, peaceful and quiet. So he definitely was in the correct room. 

He stepped closer to Wooseok’s bed and slowly started setting the other down on it. The younger tried to bury deeper in his sweater and his hand grabbed it loosely. Jinhyuk stopped moving at once, but nothing happend. He slowly lowered himself onto the mattress, torso turned sideways, to place the sleeping boy down gently. Wooseok’s grip on his sweater tightened and Jinhyuk started to panic a bit.

This was critical. Getting caught in the common room was one thing, but getting caught in a bedroom - however innocent and chivalrous his intentions - was a wholly different thing. He decided on a course of action and hunched over so his torso stayed close to Wooseok as he pulled his arms away from his sleeping body. Then, he moved to carefully pull his sweater off, thankful for the shirt he decided on wearing under it. He tried to stay hunched and his nose even brushed Wooseok’s hair once until he had gotten the garment off.

Carefully, he moved back and got up from the bed. The cold November air was seeping through the walls and windows, and he knew the other would get sick if he slept without a blanket. Sighing and praying to god that no one woke up, he started to gently pull out the duvet from under Wooseok and lay it on him. Today was his lucky night, it seemed, as the other stayed asleep, now curled around the sweater. 

Alright, time for a retreat and some mischief making. He turned towards the door and snuck out of the room, closing it quietly and letting out a relieved breath before he quickly made his way downstairs. While he hurried down the steps, he pulled out his wand, eyes twinkling and a wicked smile on his lips. 

.oO°Oo.

If there was one word Wooseok would use to describe how he was woken up on a Saturday morning, he would say the word was ‘rude’. And very much so. Because loud, confused voices, laughter and a constant buzz along with a hand shaking his shoulder was not what he had wanted to wake up to. 

Grumpily, he opened an eye and glared at the intruder. Sejin was looming over him, expression half worried, half amused. Wooseok squinted his eyes and glanced towards the noise: The door of their dorm was open, which explained the volume, and he saw students passing by. A glance at his alarm clock showed that it was barely past 8.30. 

“What the hell?” he rasped out. Sejin grimaced.

“I wouldn’t wake you if it wasn’t important, but you should have a look at the common room.” he said, an apology clear in his voice. Wooseok groaned and let his head fall back onto the pillow, but nodded. He felt Sejin get up and leave the room, closing the door, before he gathered his strength and wits swing his legs out of his bed.

As he sat there for a moment, he noticed a dark blue sweater next to his pillow. Stretching out a hand, he brushed his fingers over the material. It was soft wool, and pleasant to the touch. He grabbed it and held it up, confused. It was much larger than his usual clothes, but he couldn’t think of anyone it could belong to. And it had been in his bed after all. Maybe he had just forgotten about it? 

Wooseok glanced towards the door and, seeing it closed, held the sweater closer to his face. It smelled nice, and somehow familiar. He liked the scent. A knock sounded against his door and he jerked out of his thoughts. 

“Coming!” he called. He had to get out. In a quick decision, Wooseok threw on the sweater (it was way to cold in the room) and pushed his feet into his slippers before he sprinted towards the door. Sejin was leaning against the frame as he opened it and he straightened up when Wooseok stepped out. 

“Common room,” he said just as Jungmo rounded the corner into the corridor. 

“Hyung,” he said in a slightly whiney voice laced with amusement and confusion. Wooseok nodded and stepped forward, Sejin hot on his heels, putting a hand on Jungmo’s shoulder as he reached him to pull the boy along. 

“What’s going on, Mogu?” he asked. “Sejin hasn’t told me yet.” 

“Well,” Jungmo replied, just as they rounded the last corner of the stairs, “See for yourself.”

Wooseok stepped into the common room and felt almost blinded with colour. Students had gathered surprisingly, considering the time, but their excitement and confusion was understandable. Wooseok wasn’t sure where to look first with his brain still catching up, so he closed his eyes for a second before he opened them again. 

Someone had hexed their common room so that instead of blue and bronze greeting him, pink and and blue attacked his eyes. Hot pink. Every surface that had previously been bronze had turned pink: from the fireguard to the frame of the globe, frome ornaments on walls and bookshelves to the paint on the legs of chairs and upholstery. Hot, glaring pink. 

But what was worst of all was the eagle. The symbol of their house, that adorned the wall above the fireplace, was shown in fresci on the walls, was carved into bookshelves and decorated the furniture, that stood as a statue in their common room. All eagles were not eagles anymore. They were flamingos. 

Wooseok closed his eyes again, and counted backwards from ten to calm himself before he opened them again. The scene was the same as before, just with Jungmo and Sejin now looking at him, their heads almost obstructing his view. He pushed them away and shook his head. 

“This is unbelievable,” he muttered. “It borders on blasphemy.”

Sejin’s eyebrows shot up and Jungmo snickered as Wooseok strode forward to touch one of the flamingos adorning a bookshelf. They were amazingly lifelike. He stepped away from it, turned fully around to look around the room again when his eyes fell onto the door. He strode forwards and pulled it open to look at the eagle knocker outside. 

The door swung into the room and his eyes fell onto the bird perched on the door. A bored looking flamingo countered his gaze, seated on the pink brass that connected to the door. His legs were hanging down as if he sat like a human and with a sigh he crossed his long pink legs. His beak opened to speak. 

“You might want to ask a certain lanky lion about what happened here,” he said, voice squeaky and unfamiliar. Wooseok’s eyes widened as he understood what the flamingo meant and he turned to look at their common room again. Just one thought crossed his head. 

“That crazy genius.”

When he arrived in the Great Hall about twenty minutes later - now with a completed morning routine but still clad in the blue sweater - he strode straight up to where he could see Jinhyuk sit at the Gryffindor table, with a giggling Byungchan by his side and Seungyoun - who seemed to have migrated to other tables again - across from him. The fellow seventh year was laying on the table, laughing uncontrollably. Yohan was wide eyed with a cute grin on his features while Dongpyo was cackling. Wooseok closed the last steps between them and stood behind Seungyoun, his eyes fixing on the Gryffindor troublemaker. Jinhyuk had the decency to not look surprised.

“You, you, you…” Wooseok stuttered out and cursed himself for not thinking this through beforehand. “What were you thinking?!” 

“Good morning to you too. Did you sleep well?”

Jinhyuk’s reply surprisingly calmed his agitation a bit instead of igniting it further. Wooseok took a deep breath, eyes still fixed onto the Gryffindor. Seungyoun had turned around and he could feel the other’s gaze flitting over him. He glanced down for a second, just in time to see the other’s eyes widening - but fixed on his torso instead of his face. Seungyoun turned to look at Jinhyuk and a shit-eating grin appeared on his face.

“What am I seeing there?” he asked and leaned forward towards Jinhyuk, smile almost menacing. “Is that…?” 

Jinhyuk’s eyes widened at the words, but before he could say anything, a light slap against his head silenced Seungyoun. Wooseok fixed Jinhyuk in his glare again. 

“What. were. you. thinking?” he gritted out through his teeth. 

“You know you look really cute sleeping,” Jinhyuk replied with a friendly smile. His words made no sense for a moment, before he remembered that the last thing he could recall was falling asleep on the sofa in the common room. Realisation struck him. He had woken up in his bed. Paired with his comment and the facts he just realised that meant…

Wooseok felt a flush creeping up his cheeks and neck. He held eye contact with Jinhyuk for a few more moments before he turned around with a huff and marched towards his house table, sitting down with a deep sigh. A worried glance from Sejin had him drop his head into his hands. Thoughts raced across his brain as he tried to piece the whole situation together.

Jinhyuk must have carried him to bed after finding him, had tucked him in. And considering the strange look Seungyoun had thrown him and the unknown sweater he was wearing he came to only one conclusion. A rather frightening conclusion. He slowly sat up and turned around again, his hand grasping the collar of the sweater as his eyes fell on a certain Gryffindor again, who was already looking at him. 

A slight smile played on Jinhyuk’s lips as his eyes wandered over the Ravenclaw for a second before their eyes met again. Wooseok tried to convey his question through his expression. Jinhyuk lifted and eyebrow, and his smile widened. 

He had his answer. 


	18. Habits Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're getting closer to Christmas and we have prepared some things for you - but you'll see! For now, let's try to look at everyone we've gotten to know through the eyes of someone who doesn't know them as well yet!

Extraordinarily strange. 

That was probably the best choice of words to describe how the whole thing was for Tony. Extraordinarily strange. And this time it wasn’t even by his own doing. Instead, he had become an observer for an extraordinary case of tomfoolery. It definitely hadn’t belonged to the list of things he expected from Hogwarts - or at least not with him right in the middle of this whole mess. 

It wasn’t even the situation in itself that had him in a state floating between utter confusion and astonishment, mixed with a healthy dose of curiosity. He chose to ignore that little nervous part of him for now that was nagging at the back of his head. The situation was chaotic, but nothing out of the ordinary. What had him in this particular state of mind was more the sudden influx of information he had become a witness of. An influx of information on social dynamics, relationships and friendships of the group of people he had in front of him.

Tony was being bombarded with an unorganised, randomised overflow of information and cues on the people around him that he hadn’t been aware of for most part. And it wasn’t even because he did not know them - it was the situation itself that created that sudden wave of impressions and insights. You see, Tony was by no means anti-social. He was awkward, a bumbling mess at times, and terribly shy at others. He got nervous and brought himself into embarrassing situations. But he was by no means opposed to people.

And as such, he had managed to create friendships and acquaintances with a number of people, many of which were gathered before him. And while he had been aware of them being friends amongst each other, he hadn’t been aware of the extent and the general network of relations, relationships and friendships that he had encountered. And now there were so many connections and details being exposed that his head could barely keep up with all that he was seeing. 

Maybe he was overreacting, but this was fascinating. Truly and utterly fascinating. So instead of involving himself in the constant buzz of conversation, he chose to remain as an observer, taking everything in and listening to the quiet anecdotes and explanations from the presence on his right, emitting a comforting warmth. But maybe he should start from the beginning.

When he had entered the common room that morning, he had immediately been approached by none other than Keum Donghyun. Tony liked his fellow Hufflepuff, and they shared many classes. When he had first been introduced to the boy, he had felt almost intimidated. There was an intense energy coming from Donghyun, as if a constant current was running through his veins. At times, it almost seemed as if he didn’t know what to do with all his energy - and so he had channeled it into an extremely social and friendly personality along with a striking intelligence that one tended to overlook at first glance. 

He had been lucky to encounter Donghyun on his first day of school - right after his embarrassing verbal humiliation with Sejin which he still considered to be the bane of his awkward existence. According to Seungwoo, it probably hadn’t been as bad as he made it out to be, but Tony doubted that - the older Ravenclaw had seemed pretty miffed. The boy had just decided to try and drown himself in a puddle of misery and regret when an amused sounding voice had interrupted him in his session of self-pity. 

“Mate, that was a bit harsh - but brilliant!” A boy two seats down had leaned over to him with a broad grin that seemed truly amused instead of mocking. Tony could vaguely recall his face from the previous evening. He was one of his dorm roommates - the one who had snuck in just after curfew and had only greeted him with a grin and a finger held up to his lips in a plea of quietness. Tony had obliged, almost taken over by sleep, but now he realised he didn’t even know his name. 

But first things first.

“I hate myself,” he proclaimed sadly, returning the other boy’s gaze. The Hufflepuff’s smile turned sympathetic, but a certain glint remained in his eyes. Instead of an answer he righted himself and scooted one seat closer so he wasn’t leaning over the bench anymore.

“Got your words twisted up, hmm?” he asked. When Tony he nodded, he had mirrored the action. 

“I know that problem. Your brain just gets ahead and instead of just waiting its turn, all the words get tangled and you end up like this.” He leaned back in his chair, and nodded jovially at the Ilvermorny student. 

“I feel you.” Tony was unsure how to respond, but he was saved - not by the bell, but by another voice sounding behind him. 

“While I agree on the general problem, I think the main issue for you, dearest Donghyun, is more the fact that you get your head up too far your own ass to think straight.” There was no sharpness behind the words, and while Tony still tried to process what had just occurred, Donghyun (now he had a name to a face) just leaned his head back to grin at the newcomer. 

“Dearest Yunseong, while I appreciate your concern I am convinced - and I base that on years of observance and info gathering - that you could only have come to this conclusion because you find yourself in the same situation.” 

At that point Tony couldn’t help himself anymore and a chuckle broke from his throat. When he had imagined his first morning in Hogwarts, it had involved magic and new experiences - but neither embarrassing himself in front of a friendly boy or witnessing a diss battle before even finishing breakfast. There might even have been a hint of hysteria in his laugh. When he returned his attention to the two boys, he was met by twin smiles. 

The newcomer had taken a seat and was now turned towards Tony, almost leaning onto the other boy’s - Donghyun, he reminded himself - shoulder. He seemed friendly, and there had been no malice in his voice, but Tony still wasn’t sure what to make of them. As the silence dragged on he became unsure how to react. Both boys were still facing him with identical smiles on their faces and it started to unnerve him. Another few seconds passed before the second boy - Yunseong, Tony recalled - spoke. 

“Considering the fact you haven’t immediately told me the name of our friend here, I guess you don’t know it yourself, right?” Donghyun grinned awkwardly and shrugged. The other shook his head in amused disapproval and directed his gaze at Tony, smile widening. 

“I’m Hwang Yunseong,” he introduced himself. “Sixth year from Ravenclaw.” He jabbed a thumb at the other. 

“And this bumbling idiot is Keum Donghyun, from your house I believe.” Tony nodded and risked a small smile. 

“We’re in the same year actually!” Donghyun suddenly exclaimed. “We share a dorm! But I’ve never seen you before.” 

His eyes became filled with curiosity as they scanned Tony again, but instead of feeling uncomfortable at the examination, he felt strangely at ease and nodded in reply. 

“I’m Tony,” he said. “I transferred here for a year from Ilvermorny.” 

Yunseong’s mouth pulled into an ‘oh’ shape while Donghyun nodded along interestedly. 

“And you’re in the same year as us?” the Ravenclaw asked excitedly, leaning into Donghyun to get closer to the new boy. Tony nodded again and the twin grins returned. 

“This is great!” the other exclaimed. “We can show you around, and introduce you to people if you want to! I swear we’re not as strange as it might have seemed to you, but we’ve just known each other since childhood. So we have a certain dynamic.” 

Donghyun didn’t miss a beat, as if reading Yunseong’s thoughts and knowing when he’d stop. 

“And really don’t worry, you’ll fit right in! There are a lot of friendly people here. There’s nothing to be afraid of. Even if you get tangled up in your words.” 

The jab was spoken with a kind smile, and the embarrassment at the memory had felt less intense. Had Tony known anyone from Hogwarts before transferring, he probably would have been cautious of the GoldenChemi Duo - he didn’t want any trouble. But looking back at it now, he was glad that he hadn’t known. The two were up to a lot of pranks but never malignant or ill-meaning. And they were truly great friends to him. 

They had introduced him to most of their classmates and people from their year, but also to others around them. Had Tony gone into this with prejudice, he would have missed out on a friendship he already valued very much. His first week had been spent mostly with finding his way around and meeting new people, but he quickly fell into a routine thanks to the support of those two boys. 

He was fascinated by how they worked together - really, as if their minds were connected. He couldn’t think of one of them without the other because they complimented each other that well. It was an understanding created by years of friendship and trust, little habits shared. And so he was more than happy to be welcomed into their world. He had also gotten used to the restless energy thrumming through Donghyun - probably because Yunseong channeled that energy somewhat. 

But what still confused him was that their level of magic comprehension seemed somewhat out of tune with their actual abilities: their understanding was greater than what they could actually do. It wasn’t his place to question their magic or reasons, but he couldn’t help feel confused, especially when both of them were able to perfectly explain to him in painstaking detail how to execute a spell - no matter how complicated - but seemed unable to adopt their own methods. It was strange. But, he decided, that was how they worked. Their reasons remained their own.

  
  
  


“... and I’m sure it will be fun. Oh, and while we’re at it we can also kidnap the Hippogriff of Professor Yoon and skydive into the lake.”

Tony nodded before Donghyun’s words registered and his head snapped up. 

“What?” he asked, baffled. The other Hufflepuff grinned impishly, before he lightly flicked Tony’s forehead. 

“So you did zone out on me. Did you hear a word I said?” he asked in fond exasperation while Tony felt the blood rush into his cheeks. Right, he had been in the common room and Donghyun had been talking to him. But a trip down memory lane had easily distracted him. 

A hand waving in front of his face pulled his fleeting attention back again. 

“Yoohooo!” Donghyun called, not unkind. “What’s with you today? Are you okay?” 

Tony shrugged but tried to nod at the same time; it resulted in his chin banging harshly against his chest, and Donghyun tried to suppress a snort while the exchange student rubbed his chin. 

“Nothing physical,” he replied, “But I might not be in the best condition for human interaction today.” 

Donghyun’s face fell a bit at his words. 

“Really?” he asked in a small voice. “We wanted to have a little gathering at one of the common rooms tonight, and I thought you might like it. Most of our friends will be there.” 

Tony bit his lip as he mulled over the other’s words. His head was all over the place today, but he always enjoyed spending time with his friends. And usually it was okay for him to just be an observer and less involved in direct chaos. Considering the few Hogsmeade trips and Halloween he had already been at, it wasn’t too chaotic and not too many people. So maybe….

“If you don’t feel up to it, that’s fine,” Donghyun said gently and grabbed his wrist to pull him towards the exit - breakfast was still waiting after all. And Tony knew the other wouldn’t guilt trip him or anything. There really was no pressure, no insistence behind the words. But he hummed. 

“I’d actually like to go,” he said slowly. “I might not stay as long, but I enjoyed all of the meet ups you invited me to, so yeah.” He shrugged. 

“I’ll be fine. And maybe it’s a better idea to go instead of just holing myself up in our dorm.” 

With each word he said, Doonghyun’s smile grew and a slight spring entered his steps. Tony couldn’t help but smile along as they walked down the corridor. 

  
  


Which brought him to his current predicament. When Donghyun had said small gathering, Tony had thought of five or six people and their common room. Well, there were people, and there was a common room. But the head count was much higher, and so was their elevation above ground. Though the feeling of elevation Tony was experiencing might have more to do with a certain Ravenclaw prefect and less with the fact that they were currently gathered in the Ravenclaw common room. 

Donghyun had grabbed him shortly after dinner, interrupting him in the middle of a chapter he was reading. Excitement had been radiating off the other again, but when he had seen the book he had urged Tony to finish his chapter in peace before they left. According to Donghyun, there had been no set time anyway. So Tony had heeded his words and read the last few pages before he put the book aside. Upon seeing him, Donghyun had jumped up. 

Their trek to the gathering had let them out of the Hufflepuff quarters and upstairs, so Tony had assumed that they were going to the Gryffindor tower. They were a social bunch and it would only make sense to meet up there, but Donghyun had pulled him along towards the other tower housing students and up the spiral staircase to the Ravenclaw tower. The surprise on his features must have been evident and Donghyun explained that Wooseok had practically sanctioned this gathering as headboy, but had to be present. So to accommodate him, they had decided on the Ravenclaw tower. (If that was really accommodating to the headboy, Tony doubted.)

He should have been somewhat suspicious when the words ‘sanctioned’ and ‘headboy’ fell, but the thought didn’t even enter his head until they knocked onto the door of the common room which was promptly ripped open by a beaming Yunseong. 

“You’re late,” he said with a grin. Donghyun snorted and stepped forward into the doorframe, face inches from Yunseong’s who was still blocking the entry. 

“Can’t be late if there was no time set up,” he retorted snarkily. They kept eye contact for a few more seconds before they both snorted and Yunseong stepped aside. 

“Come on in,” he said with a wink directed at Tony. The exchange student had been in the Ravenclaw tower before, so he was used to the room. What had him gape the moment he stepped through the door was the amount of non-Ravenclaws gathered around the sofas and the fireplace. There were more people than expected.

He knew all of them, but he had never seen them all in one place like this. Yohan from his year was seated on the floor of one of the sofas, in conversation with Hangyul and his head rested against the legs of his best friend - Junho, he thought it was - who was seated on the sofa. Tony remembered how he had felt intimidated by Hangyul at first until the other had turned out to be an absolute dork and lovely to be around. You just had to be careful with his sharp tongue at times. Yohan too had seemed more serious than he actually was in the beginning, but Tony had easily warmed up to him. He didn’t know much about Junho but the younger seemed nice, if a little quiet. But that last aspect wasn’t something Tony should judge over, anyways. What surprised him a bit was the affectionate way Junho ran his hand through Yohan’s hair while he himself was endorsed in a conversation with Eunsang from his year and a slender boy from Slytherin. 

Tony felt himself get pulled along again by a hand, but this time it turned out to be Yunseong grabbing onto his wrist. He looked around and saw a few more familiar faces - Byungchan and Jungmo from his year, along with a tall white-haired boy from Slytherin and a tiny Gryffindor that he had seen around Seungwoo a lot. His attention was diverted again, when the tugging on his wrist went downwards and he looked in front of him, just to see that he was the only one standing in a small circle of seated people. 

Quickly, he dropped down and sat cross-legged, scanning the faces around him. Donghyun and Yunseong were seated on his left and there was Seungwoo on his right. That constellation quenched a big part of the nervousness that had welled up at the amount of people he saw. The familiar calming presence of the Hufflepuff prefect and his warm smile took effect immediately as he felt the tension bleed from him. 

As he continued his examination of the gathering, he recognised a lanky Gryffindor as the boy helping out Donghyun and Yunseong a lot - Jinhyuk, if he wasn’t mistaken. The older was intelligent, as much as he had gathered, with a knack for tricky spells and a faible for movies. A feature that had been surprising to Tony. The boy next to him was another seventh year named Seungyoun - Hangyul’s boyfriend. Tony hadn’t spoken to him a lot but he seemed like a fun person, and a perfect match for Hangyul’s sass with his own sharp tongue. His fox-like features held an amusing mischievousness that had the American curious as to how he would be among friends. 

Two more Hufflepuffs were seated next to Seungyoun that he knew already. Hyeongjun, a lively and cute fourth year and Minkyu, a quiet fifth year and prefect. Tony was comfortable with both of them, having spoken to them on more than one occasion, and Minkyu’s shy demeanour had him easily relate to the younger boy. Hyeongjun was more energetic and incredibly adorable. Tony didn’t know them too well but he was pretty sure that Minkyu harboured some level of feelings for the younger boy. There was a certain softness in his eyes whenever he looked at him - but mixed with a hint of sadness. Maybe Tony was hallucinating, but just now he was sure he had seen it again when Hyeongjun giggled at something Seungyoun had said. 

He felt Yunseong straightening his posture next to him suddenly and glanced around him towards Donghyun, who had copied his best friend’s movement. Kim Wooseok, their headboy, had just sat down next to his fellow Hufflepuff. Tony felt a smile creep onto his features. Considering all the pranks these two came up with, it was no surprise that they reacted like this to the presence of the Ravenclaw. He had probably caught them more often than not, and the fond but stern glance he sent them held a warning to not try anything funny while sitting next to him.

“Should we start?” Seungwoo asked next to him and Tony startled for a moment. He had been so caught up in his observation that he had forgotten the people around him. Wooseok glanced over and shook his head. 

“Give him just a second, he should be here any moment.” His reply seemed to make sense to the others while Tony was left wondering who they could mean. He let his eyes wander off their circle again and noticed how Jinhyuk’s eyes had become fixed on Wooseok, who in turn seemed to be ignoring his presence for the most part. He looked back from the headboy to the Gryffindor just to see Jinhyuk’s gaze rake up and down the smaller boy, his eyes widening slightly. 

Tony looked back in hopes of understanding but all he saw was Wooseok. The older was pretty, admittedly, but he wasn’t wearing anything particularly stunning that would warrant that reaction. He was in his glasses, hair falling over his forehead and bundled up in an oversized blue sweater that hung off his collarbones a bit. Maybe he had misinterpreted Jinhyuk’s look. 

“Sorry, I’m coming!” 

The voice had him freeze. The world around him seemed to slow to a stop as another boy stepped into their circle and sat down between Seungyoun and Hyeongjun. His eyes flew around the circle as he took everyone in, passing over Tony just to return to him and a soft smile following. He felt his cheeks warm and attempted to smile back. But it probably looked more like a grimace. 

“Alright, now that you’re here let’s start!” Seungyoun called out boisterously while holding out a deck of cards. 

“Exploding snap?” Seungwoo asked with a chuckle and the Slytherin grinned and nodded. 

“Exactly,” he replied, elongating the first part of the word. “You still owe me a revenge from last time, you know.” 

Wooseok’s snort had all eyes fly to him, but the headboy just raised an amused eyebrow at Seungyoun. 

“With how you’re playing, everyone here owes you at least three revenge rounds, Youn.” 

Seungyoun raised a hand to his chest in mock offense while Yunseong and Donghyun hollered. A grin had spread over Jinhyuk’s face. A glint in Seungyoun’s eyes was the only warning before he jabbed back with a devious smirk. 

“Well, I’m feeling quite  _ sparkly _ today, actually.” He turned to look pointedly at Jinhyuk before he turned back to Wooseok. “You two can relate, can’t you?”

He received a confusing mixture of “Shut it, idiot.” and “I need new friends.” from the two boys in question, but for once Tony wasn’t the only confused person around. Questioning looks were flying from Seungyoun to the headboy who had started shuffling the cards and a blushing Jinhyuk. Only Seungwoo seemed as serene as always, with a slight amusement etched into his features. When he noticed Tony looking at him, he winked before he turned back and grabbed the cards from Wooseok, who had dropped them for the second time by now. 

Tony followed his hands but kept his eyes trained onto the floor instead of looking up and facing Sejin. He wasn’t ready for that yet, nor had he been mentally prepared at all. As Seungwoo started handing out cards to all of them he raised his eyes again in the direction of Jinhyuk. The older was eyeing the cards and picked them up gingerly before he threw a sneaky glance at the Duo next to Tony. A slightly raised eyebrow indicated a question the other two seemed privy too and a slight nod from Yunseong confirmed said question. So they  _ were  _ up to something. At least he was warned. 

It turned out, however, that being warned wasn’t worth anything in a game of exploding snap. The cards would blow up at random, and Seungyoun really turned out to be someone with either terrible luck or terrible skills. The cards exploded on him most of the time, and by the end of their second round his left eyebrow looked a bit haggard. 

Wooseok’s snickers had become louder with each explosion, not even halted by his own encounter with an explosion close up. He seemed to thoroughly enjoy the game, eyes crinkled up but a competitive glint in them whenever he looked around. Though the butterbeer might have played a role in the headboy relaxing that much and not worrying. Apparently, Seungyoun and Jinhyuk had snuck into the kitchen and convinced the house elfs in providing them with some snacks and drinks. But no one knew where the fire whiskey had come from. 

Most of the younger ones, including Tony, had turned down the offer, but the seventh years had decided that they deserved a swig or two. Wooseok had looked a little conflicted at first but a few whispered words from Sejin had him shrug his shoulder and throw back a shot to the surprised gasps of the gathered players and onlookers. And so the game had progressed. 

Somehow, Yohan had gotten roped into playing by Jinhyuk, though his eyes kept wandering back to Junho occasionally. On Seungyoun’s suggestion they had included shots for everyone who’s cards exploded (if they were willing to drink) which had turned out disastrous for the poor Slytherin. By now, Hangyul was draped over his back in an attempt to help him, but he didn’t appear to be very successful. Seungwoo too had his own personal koala by now: the tiny Gryffindor boy from earlier was draped over him and had introduced himself as ‘Dongpyo’ to Tony.

And while playing, Tony had almost forgotten about the short exchange between Jinhyuk and GoldenChemi in the beginning. He was reminded of that however, when Minkyu’s card exploded and instead of sparks, a darkish cloud spread and Tony felt an itch in his nose that sent him into a sneezing bout. And he wasn’t the only one - their whole circle was sneezing and coughing at different levels of intensity, nicely accented by some colourful curse words Tony hadn’t expected to hear from either Seungwoo nor Wooseok. One surprise after the other, really. 

“You are a chaotic mess, you know?” a female voice laced with equal parts amusement and exasperation said above them before she mumbled something. Tony felt his nostrils and airpipe relax as the sneezing seized. Their circle had scattered a bit with bodies in various positions strewn across the floor and their headgirl, Eunbi, standing over them with her wand out. Her eyes fell onto Wooseok, who just raised an eyebrow, before they flitted towards Jinhyuk and GoldenChemi. 

“I’ll let it slide this time,” she said with a thinly laced threat, “But only because you were caught up in it too. That’s enough of a punishment.” 

Another looks around the circle seemed to burn into each and every person there with an intensity that dared them to try anything too out of line. 

“Now play nice.” She smiled sweetly at them before she turned around and headed towards the dorm rooms. 

“We love you, Eunbi!” Seungyoun called after her, hands in a half-assed heart above his head and quite obviously tipsy by now. Eunbi just threw him a glance before she headed up the stairs and out of sight. Hangyul just lightly smacked his boyfriend over the head, which earned him puppy eyes and a pout. Dongpyo was still whining next to him and he saw Wooseok readying himself for a scolding. That was his cue, then. 

He got up quietly, threw a smile at Seungwoo and turned around. A quick glance through the room had him acquire his target easily: Junho and Eunsang, still seated on a sofa, but with Sihoon next to them this time. That was at least one and a half people he properly knew, and he headed over. As he approached them, Sihoon glanced up and met his gaze. His kind eyes crinkled and waved at the American, beckoning him over. Eunsang and Junho looked up too as he approached, both greeting him with a smile. 

“Took your leave while Wooseokie hyung was still warming up?” Sihoon asked cheekily and Tony giggled. He felt at ease with these boys - a surprising feat considering he only knew Sihoon pretty well among them. But Junho had always seemed nice and Eunsang looked like he was easy-going. The boy scooted up a bit and patted the newly freed space next to him. 

“Sit!” he invited Tony. His eyes were wide and curious as they focused on him. “What exactly happened?” 

Junho snorted. 

“Well, with the cloud I’d say Jinhyuk or GoldenChemi happened,” he said teasingly. Tony nodded along. 

“Both of them actually. They were in on it.” His revelation seemed to surprise the others, but Sihoon broke out into a chuckle quickly. 

“I should have known they were planning something,” he stated, mirth in his voice. “Yunseong was brooding over some books that were definitely not school-related for the last days.” 

Tony locked eyes with him.

“So was Donghyun!” he called, astonished. “These two…” 

He glanced over at the troublemaker duo that seemed to have reverted to the size of first years with a stern looking Wooseok standing over them. The headboy wasn’t tall but had a piercing gaze which might have been intimidating if there hadn’t been the tall slenderman-like figure of Jinhyuk hovering behind him. The tall boy as nervously moving from side to side, indecisive movements making him move and sway like a Jack-in-the-boy. It looked hilarious. 

Eventually, Wooseok seemed to have enough of it too. He turned around to the older boy, almost head-butting him due to the proximity, but unflinching. 

“I’ll get to you in a second. Now sit down and wait your turn.” And Jinhyuk deflated like a balloon and sat down. It was comical how that tall boy managed to fold himself into something resembling a slightly scared but mainly nervous ball. Well, if a ball mainly consisted of gangly limbs that is. 

“Minkyu looks really scared.” Eunsang noted, with a hint of concern in his voice. As Tony looked at the younger prefect, he could only agree. Minkyu did look scared even though he had no reason too. Sihoon sighed, fondly. 

“I’ll take care of him. We’ve become friends a while ago, so hopefully I’ll calm him a bit.” Tony looked back at the Ravenclaw just in time to see him get up. Junho scooted over a bit and Eunsang followed, now that there was more space on the cushions. Sihoon sent them a smile and headed towards the group Tony had deserted earlier. 

I really don’t get why people are scared of Wooseokie, though,” sound Junho. Tony turned around, his face mirroring the disbelief painted on Eunsang’s features. The other boy seemed entirely unfazed by their expressions. Eunsang shook his head. 

“Chacha, you are literally the only person that just throws themself onto Wooseok for cuddles, and lives to tell the tale. You do not have a valid opinion on this.” 

Tony’s mouth fell open in surprise. He wouldn’t have pegged Junho for the cuddly type, nor Wooseok at that. The combination of those two went past is imaginative abilities. That was something his brain refused to picture, no matter how hard he tried. Junho broke out into a cute smile at Tony’s face and reached over to gently push up his jaw. 

“Seriously,” he said, “He isn’t that scary if you know him. He’s actually really sweet.” His eyes flitted over to Wooseok, with a smirk painting his pictures. 

“At least if he wants to be,” he added like an afterthought. Eunsang and Tony both turned around just to see Wooseok scolding Jinhyuk, who was looking up at him with large puppy eyes and a face full of regret. Considering that even in a seated position he reached to Wooseok’s navel, it wasn’t as intimidating a view as it probably should be, and there was a hint of fondness mixed into the headboy’s voice that hadn’t been there before. 

“See?” Junho questioned and Eunsang let himself fall into the cushions with a sigh. 

“I stand by what I said,” he insisted. Tony considered for a moment before he spoke. 

“It seems so unbelievable,” he commented. “Wooseok willingly cuddling anyone, I mean.” 

Eunsang raised an eyebrow and beckoned him closer with a finger as he pulled his phone from his pocket. He looked around carefully before unlocking and swiping through it. 

“Do not tell a soul that I have these,” he whispered and turned his screen towards Tony. It was a picture of that same sofa, with Junho and Wooseok. The younger was half draped over the older, cuddled into his side with Wooseok’s arms wrapped around him. Their faces were relaxed - probably sleeping. Junho snorted. 

“Don’t let Wooseok see that.” he giggled. “Though I have an even better one from last year.” 

Junho pulled out his phone and turned the screen towards them as he scrolled through his gallery. Tony was still willing his brain to combine the two different images of Wooseok in his head and when Eunsang suddenly spluttered next to him. 

“What was that?!” 

Junho looked at Eunsang with confusion, just as Tony directed his eyes at the screen - and promptly blushed. There were several pictures of Yohan in there, selfies he seemed to have sent to Junho. And each one was shirtless. Eunsang seemed flabbergasted. Junho was stoic with not even a hint of embarrassment. Amazing. 

“You mean these?” he asked and clicked onto one of the shirtless selfies. It was Yohan grinning into the camera from below, laid on a bed it seemed. Tony’s blush intensified while Eunsang’s eyes flew from Junho, to the picture and over to Yohan (live, and in the flesh) before returning. 

“Yohan hates wearing shirts when its hot, so he’s usually walking around half naked for most of the summer,” Junho explained calmly. “He has a habit of sending me selfies, so he’s scattered all over my camera roll.”

He swiped back onto the folder view and scrolled down a bit. And lo and behold, there truly were more pictures on Yohan in various states of semi-appropriate undress. Eunsang whistled and clicked on one in particular. It showed Junho and Yohan at a lake side, apparently taken by a third person, both half into the water. 

“Dang,” Eunsang muttered, “the boy has abs.”

“You might want to look out for said abs,” Junho commented with a smirk, “Because they are staggering right towards us.” 

Both Tony and Eunsang shot around to see a clearly tipsy Yohan with a dopey smile making his way towards them. He was swaying a bit, and looked more like a dancing bear, swinging from side to side. Balance was definitely nothing he had left for now, and his eyes were set on Junho, who seemed primarily amused. Eunsang cleared his throat.

“Run,” he muttered and without question, Tony obliged. They both jumped up and headed towards the nearest free pieces of furniture which in Eunsang’s case turned out to be an armchair, and for Tony a love seat. Just as he let himself fall into the cushion, he saw Yohan do the same on the sofa with Junho still seated. The main difference between Tony and Yohan was the fact that the Gryffindor chose his head as the first point of contact. Luckily, Junho had pulled out a pillow to soften his fall a bit. 

The loud ‘ooomph’ accompanying Yohan’s less than elegant landing (one leg on the sofa, one beside it, arms flailing everywhere) was quickly followed by the tall boy turning onto his back curling himself into Junho’s lap. A light giggle drifted across the room and it took the exchange student a moment before he realised that the soft sound had actually originated from the Gryffindor in Junho’s lap. The younger of the two looked down onto the boy, a soft expression adorning his features and a hand carding soothingly through Yohan’s hair. The laying boy’s face was filled with adoration of the purest kind. A certain word came to Tony’s mind as he observed the affectionate scene before him. 

“Whipped,” he whispered. 

“Agreed,” said a familiar voice beside him, and he realised that one half of the loveseat had been occupied already. He turned his head to see Sejin seated beside himself. His heart rate picked up immediately, and he was pretty sure that a blush was creeping onto his features. 

His relationship with the older boy had become less awkward since Seungwoo gave him the hint in the library. Tony had actually followed his suggestion and talked to Sejin, apologizing profusely for his words on the first day. The older had been surprisingly relaxed about it, accepting it easily and reassuring Tony that he was neither angry at him, nor did he want him to stay away. And so they had started having tea together. 

It wasn’t everyday, maybe twice a week, and their conversations hadn’t progressed very far on the first occasions. But by now they were warming up to each other. And while Tony still felt nervous around the other, and his heart rate was still trying to imitate a woodpecker, the panic had vanished, and a sense of security had started to appear. But he hadn’t been prepared for their current proximity, especially with Sejin leaning over now and whispering in his ear. 

“If you ask me, it’s just a matter of time with those two.” 

Tony was barely able to process his words, however, with the way Sejin’s warm breath was suddenly hitting the shell of his ear and his presence surrounded him. The older emitted a lot of warmth, or maybe the Hufflepuff was just hyper-aware of it. But he couldn’t do much but nod. It took him another minute to fully process and think about the words he had just heard. 

“They seem really close,” he commented, “and I mean beyond a certain interest.” 

Sejin nodded sagely as Tony turned to look at him. “They are a bit enigmatic for that matter, because they contrast so much in personality, but somehow they work well. They understand each other.”    
A light smirk danced around his lips. “Now if they just figure out their shit we have one chaos less around here.” 

Tony raised a questioning eyebrow and Sejin raised his hand. Gentle fingers touched Tony’s chin and turned his head to the corner where the rest of them was still huddled. 

“That chaos.” 

Tony could definitely understand what he meant with one look. 

.oO°Oo.

Looking back at it now, it might not have been one of Wooseok’s brightest moments to allow all of this. The gathering? Not a problem, per se. The amount of people, too, was manageable. Provided everyone was sober, at that. And this last point hadn’t been met. 

It had been a weak moment of his, after all the stress from prefect duties and school work accumulating, along with some carefully repressed emotional factors that had nothing to do with a certain Gryffindor, Sejin had easily convinced him to just ‘let loose a bit for once.’ Yes, he had been that easy. 

And now he had to deal with the consequences. The exploding snap had been annoying to be quite honest. Pepper was never a good idea, at least not regarding pranks, and he was definitely not looking forward to the talk he would have to have with Eunbi. The girl was kind and fair, but he still had to justify his actions. It was something he felt was his duty - something he owed her, along with an apology of disturbing her evening. 

But it had been hard to stay mad at the duo looking up at him like kicked puppies, and even harder to stay serious with the lanky mess a curled up Jinhyuk was. Wooseok had felt the irrational need to cup the older’s face and coo at his cuteness and only a very strong self control had kept him from doing exactly that. Now, that he had sobered up a bit he could smack himself for even thinking that, but one look at a still tipsy Jinhyuk had a familiar warmth bubble up in his stomach again. 

The Gryffindor had thrown himself over Byungchan after the scolding he had received from Wooseok, which had resulted in a cuddly mass of flailing limbs and a stumbling hazard for anyone trying to get past those two. Lucky for Jinhyuk, Byungchan was the best person to hug something out with, even if he hadn’t been involved. And with what Wooseok had observed, Jinhyuk was a rather touchy person. Still, the look of the two boys tangled on the floor, one whining and one giggling, had a strange mixture of amusement, fondness and something that tasted suspiciously like jealousy well up inside him. 

“You know you don’t have to worry about Byungchannie, right?” Seungwoo whispered into his ear and made him flinch. Wooseok hadn’t even noticed the older boy before. 

“Why would I worry about him?” he asked, feigning innocence. But Seungwoo wasn’t having it. Fond exasperation painted his features, and his raised eyebrow said more than words. Wooseok swallowed and avoided his eyes. 

“I know,” he admitted shakily. “But still, I can’t shake this weird feeling.” 

“That weird feeling you are not going to name even though we both know what it is?” Seungwoo interjected. Wooseok sighed and directed his eyes away and towards the wall. When Seungwoo spoke again, all previous sharpness had left his voice. 

“Wooseok, we both know that as long as you refuse to even consider your feelings, you won’t get anywhere. I get that you’re scared, and worried, but suppressing everything won’t make it better in the long run. At least…” 

He trailed off with a sigh, as if he wasn’t sure of his words himself. 

“At least work through it. Be honest with yourself, even if you might not like it.”

Wooseok hummed noncommittally. He knew that the older was right, and that eventually he would have to face his emotions. But he wasn’t sure if he was ready to deal with the consequences for now. And so he kept them carefully repressed, only for him to be looked at in the darkest hours of the night, when sleep just wouldn’t come. 

“Sorry to interrupt, but we need an adult. They’re being disgusting again.” 

For the second time in just a few minutes, Wooseok flinched from a voice sounding close to his ear. But this time it was Dohyon, cute face in a pout. Wooseok’s eyes widened as his words progressed and he whipped around, Seungwoo following his example. 

“Oh for fucks sake…” If Seungyoun and Hangyul were being indecent with the kids around, then Wooseok would have to take drastic measures, which involved expletives, a wand and quite possible some blood. Those were his kids (though he wouldn’t be found alive, admitting that) and he would not let some horny idiots taint that. He whipped around, eyes focussing on the corner he had last seen the couple and… 

Oh. 

_ Oh. _

That really was disgusting. Disgustingly sweet. He had expected snogging teenage boys in a corner. But what he was facing was said teenage boys in a more than decent position. Seungyoun was leaned against the wall, with Hangyul sitting between his legs, back to his chest. They seemed completely relaxed. Seungyoun’s legs were caging in the younger, and his arms wrapped around Hangyul’s waist, his head falling forwards, but his eyes focused on his boyfriend’s face. Hangyul had leaned his head against Seungyoun’s shoulder, turned so that his forehead was resting against the older’s neck. Their hands were tangled at the younger’s waist. 

“See,” Dohyon said next to him, grumpily, but with an undeniable fondness underneath his words. And Wooseok understood what he was trying to do. Instead of trying to separate them in public, he wanted to give them some privacy, away from people. And Wooseok had to agree. Seungwoo stepped up next to him and leaned down. 

“We should gather the kids then, and get them to bed,” he whispered, before looking at Dohyon. “Can you try and get them back to your common room?” he asked. The younger seemed to contemplate for a moment before he nodded. Seungwoo and Wooseok turned away when the boy approached the tangled couple against the wall. Even if it was just a sliver of privacy, they deserved to have it. 

“Gather everyone and push them in the right direction?” Wooseok asked and Seungwoo hummed in agreement. And so off they went. Luckily, most of the younger ones had either decided to go to bed on their own at some point, or were willing to just listen to them. Seungwoo gathered Byungchan from the floor to take Dongpyo back to the Gryffindor tower before collecting every Hufflepuff in the vicinity. Most of the fifth years had retreated already, and Sejin just started shooing off their remaining Ravenclaws. Wooseok even tried to rouse Yohan but Junho stopped him with a glance. 

“Don’t worry,” he whispered, as the Gryffindor on his lap kept on snoring softly, “I’m used to falling asleep here. I’ll just keep him here.” 

Wooseok didn’t have the heart to deny him. He knew Yohan had snuck in on more than one occasion and stayed over, and so had Junho at the Gryffindor tower. He wouldn’t start reprimanding them for it now. 

He turned back around to see Seungwoo step up to him.

“We got them all to bed except for one,” he said. A look around proved his point - Dohyon had even been successful in getting Seungyoun and Hangyul up and out without Wooseok noticing. Only Jinhyuk was left of the Gryffindors. The headboy knew what his friend was hinting at: The tower was in a completely different direction than the cellars, where the Hufflepuffs were housed. So he gathered all his determination and nodded. 

“Don’t worry. I’ll get him home,” he whispered, his voice leaving him.

Seungwoo nodded and headed over towards the exit with the Hufflepuffs trailing after him like ducklings. A last look over his shoulder and he was gone. On the sofa, Junho had just succeeded in rousing a whiny Yohan who was trying to curl back into his stomach again. Sejin and Sihoon, who seemed to have magically turned up all of a sudden, were watching them from the door. Sejin’s face was filled with a motherly fondness, but Sihoon looked somewhat conflicted. A feeling Wooseok could only understand too well, even without knowing the younger boy’s situation. 

He turned around to where Jinhyuk was sprawled out over the carpet. The older boy was laying spread-eagle, long limbs in all directions and eyes trained onto the ceiling. Wooseok approached him cautiously, like he would do with a deer in an attempt not to spook it. When he was only a foot away, he crouched down to lean over the older. 

“Are you just out of it, or are you really that bad at holding your liquor?” he asked with a lopsided smile. Jinhyuk’s eyes lazily trailed over to him, locking with Wooseok’s large brown ones. The younger felt a sudden rush of warmth course through his veins at the eye contact, and something feeling suspiciously like affection bloomed in his chest. 

“Maybe both of it. Or maybe I’m just drunk on you.” 

At every other occasion the Ravenclaw would have scoffed at the comment. But now, with a slight rasp in the older’s voice and his words completely void of mockery, the flower in his chest uncurled its petals further. Surprisingly there was no nervousness to be found in him. He chuckled and held out a hand for the Gryffindor to grab. 

“Come on, we should get you to bed,” he said with a small smile. Jinhyuk accepted the offered hand with an eyebrow slightly raised in surprise and glanced around when he had returned to a perpendicular position over the floor. 

“Yohan?” he asked, gaze set on the sofa Wooseok knew their younger friends had been on. And judging by the quiet whining and gentle mumbling, Junho was still working on getting the older to bed. Well, that was his cross to carry. 

“He’s staying here for tonight,” he explained, fondness obvious in his tone. Jinhyuk turned to look at him, eyebrow raising even higher and puppy eyes making a re-entrance. Wooseok immediately shook his head, hands held out before him.

“On Junho’s insistence,” he added. “And I won’t do the same for you because unlike these two, I am not used to you sleeping in my bed.” 

The second bit escaped him before his brain-to-mouth filter had caught up and brought him to a stunned silence. The older seemed just as surprised, if not thoroughly amused. A second of silence passed between them before Jinhyuk leaned forward into Wooseok’s space, a dark glint in his eyes. 

“We could change that though,” he said suggestively, making blood rush to Wooseok’s head. The younger cleared his throat and scrambled to his feet, turning away. 

“And that is my cue to get you back to your own common room,” he proclaimed, voice a bit to loud. And like an afterthought he added more quietly: “I am not ready to deal with this.” 

But it seemed he had underestimated Jinhyuk’s control over his own lanky limbs - because he had no warning when a tall body draped itself over his back. 

“Ready to deal with what?” a deep voiced mumbled close to his ear and he felt the vibrations of the older speaking against his back. This turned out to be more of a task than he had expected it to be. He tipped back his head to direct his eye at the ceiling in a silent call on heavenly help - but it seemed the heavens had other plans for him. 

As he tipped back his head, he failed to consider that Jinhyuk was still slumped against him, with Wooseok’s head now resting against the older’s shoulder. Of all things happening this evening, he had been the least prepared for warm breath hitting the skin of his neck and Jinhyuk slightly nosing against it. That was it. 

“Alright, off we go!” he exclaimed in a flourish and grabbed the Gryffindor’s hand, refusing to let panic seize control over him. Without giving the other a chance to protest he took off in the direction on the door, dragging a stumbling giant behind him and nodding at a sleepy Yohan and curious Junho still perched on the sofa. 

By the time he reached the wooden door, Jinhyuk had regained control over his limbs and was now trying to keep up with his quick steps, long legs giving him an advantage. He opened the door just as Wooseok reached for it, but almost managed to run into it himself while he was doing so. Not full control then. Chuckling, he pulled the still tipsy boy after him. 

A tinny voice stopped them on the first step. 

“You again!” Wooseok and Jinhyuk froze on the staircase and slowly turned around. The voice had come from the eagle door knocker, indignation etched into its bronze features. 

“Yeah, you!” Wooseok glanced at the older just when said boy pointed a finger at himself, his face a mask of faux innocence. 

“While I can appreciate a well executed prank, I really have to say,” both boys unconsciously held their breath, prepared for a scolding, “that having knees that bend in the opposite direction is really uncomfortable!” 

Silence. Wooseok blinked. The eagle continued. 

“Yeah, you can believe me! Do you know how uncomfortable it is to sit down and your legs just bend upwards?” 

Jinhyuk snorted, while the door knocker continued his tirade. 

“Try choosing something more comfortable next time!” he announced, tone miffed. “I recommend the shoebill. They look silly, but their knees are lovely.” 

Wooseok tried to stifle his laughter as Jinhyuk tried to school his expression into something resembling seriousness. He nodded, assuring the still muttering eagle that he would consider the option next time. While nodding, he started taking steps backwards down the steps, pulling the smaller boy along with it. 

Wooseok followed without protest, a hand held out against the small of Jinhyuk’s back in case the taller stumbled (again). But the cold air seemed to have a slightly sobering effect and his movements appeared to be more controlled. 

When they rounded the first bend and were out of the eagle’s view, they exchanged a look. Laughter bubbled up in Wooseok and he let out a chuckle, along with Jinhyuk. This had been ridiculous. Shaking his head, he turned around, urging the older to do the same and they continued down the stairway.

They remained silent, except for the occasional chuckle, but it was a surprisingly relaxed silence. Wooseok did not feel the need to strike up a conversation, content in just walking alongside the other boy in the quiet castle. The breathing and warmth next to him exuded a gentle comfort instead of inducing nervousness. Their trek down deserted hallways and up and down staircases remained uninterrupted until they reached a gallery on the fifth floor, leading towards the staircase to the Gryffindor tower. 

Moonlight flooded in through the large windows, with the moon now waning again but still bright enough to cast its silver light. Wooseok looked at it through the window, Jinhyuk doing the same. His sharp features were enhanced by the silver glow and Wooseok’s eyes trailed over his face, losing interest in the moon. His step had slowed and when he looked up to see the older’s eyes on his, he stopped. 

With the moon casting its glow from behind, Jinhyuk looked ethereal, but his eyes were dark. Darker than usual. But the darkness seemed to pull Wooseok in as he continued to stare up at the older. 

“You know,” Jinhyuk started, voice slightly raspy again, “in every cheesy movie this is where one of the main leads says how beautiful the moon is.” 

Wooseok nodded and an impish grin started to spread over the older’s face. 

“And then,” he continued with wiggling eyebrows, “the other lead would say…” 

“Don’t you dare finish that or I’ll give you detention for being out of bed.” 

Jinhyuk frowned at the younger’s exasperated words, lips in an exaggerated pout. 

“Not exactly the line I was going for….” he stopped, eyes widening suddenly. Steps became audible, coming towards them from the adjoining corridor. Someone would turn the corner soon and see them. So Jinhyuk did the only thing that seemed feasible in that moment: He stumbled forwards, gathering Wooseok in his arms and pushed him into the darkness behind the statue, they had stopped at, a hand clasped over his mouth. 

Luckily for them, Wayland the Winking Whistler had accumulated quite a large body during his life as a whistler and was shadowing them easily, hidden from all eyes. Still, Jinhyuk pushed Wooseok forward until they were safely in the darkest corner with the smaller pressed against a wall, and Jinhyuk pressed up against him. The steps got closer, now turning into the corridor they had been in. 

Jinhyuk tried to estimate how far they were away but was distracted by movement against the hand, he had still pressed against Wooseok’s mouth. The younger was turning his head from side to side and Jinhyuk looked at him, expression trying to convey the plea for the other to stay silent. Their eyes locked and Jinhyuk felt unable to move. The steps reached the statue and went past them without slowing down, but at this moment Jinhyuk couldn’t care less if he was being caught or not. Wooseok’s large brown eyes drew him in like a magnet, like a moth to the flame. The steps got more quiet as they reached the end of the corridor and continued further away, becoming less and less audible. 

Jinhyuk slowly moved his hand away, long fingers moving to hover beside Wooseok’s face instead as the other quirked an eyebrow at him. 

“You know,” the younger commented, “We wouldn’t have gotten in trouble with me accompanying you. Being headboy and all.”

That made sense, Jinhyuk had to admit. His brain was still trying to string together a reply, slow from a lack of oxygen. He felt breathless, from either the apprehension just now or the proximity to the younger. And he had a feeling it was the latter. His brain finally caught up. 

“Then why did you stay still?” he replied, cursing his breathless tone. Wooseok too, however, seemed to be affected by something about their situation. The younger needed longer to form an answer as well. 

“Because this,” he nodded at them, “is a more precarious situation to be found in than wandering the corridors.” 

Jinhyuk felt heat rise up his neck and cheeks. The younger had a point: the two of them, pressed against a wall in a dark corner. Not many reasons to properly explain that scenario. While he was still mulling this over, his hand seemed to have a mind on his own. Or it was just following the part of his mind that he tried to keep on the down-low around the headboy as much as possible. 

Wooseok seemed stunned when he brushed his fingers through the brown strands of hair, a hand coming to cup the younger’s face. Their eyes hadn’t left each other, but Jinhyuk felt as if the pull between them had intensified. The warm skin against his hand had him want more - to feel more, to be closer. Hands on his waist that he hadn’t noticed before tightened their grip, and he steeled himself for being pushed away. 

But they just held. Tightly, but neither pushing nor pulling. And so he gave in. 

His hand dropped from Wooseok’s face and came to wrap around the smaller boy instead, arms looping around his back as Jinhyuk pulled him closer and let his head fall forward. His fingers curled into the familiar material of the sweater - his sweater - that Wooseok was wearing, but he didn’t tighten the hug. He wanted to give the other a chance to pull away, to push him off if he wanted to. His head, too, was hanging next to Wooseok’s seaking no further contact until he was allowed to do so. 

The younger had stiffened in his hold, surprised and unexpecting. But he had remained completely still, hands unmoving on the older’s waist, grip just as tight. He too seemed to be weighing his options, debating on a reaction - or maybe just preparing himself to push. They remained unmoving for a few moments but to Jinhyuk they were like hours. A fear had started seeping into his veins at the unresponsiveness of the younger. 

Just as he prepared himself to let go, Wooseok moved, startling Jinhyuk. The hands on his waist loosened their grip and slid around his waist and onto his back. 

Relief flooded him as he felt the younger reciprocate the embrace, awkwardly stiff at first but slowly relaxing. His stance became less tense, and Jinhyuk splayed out his hands against Wooseok’s back, head turning to bury his nose in the dark brown hair of the younger. He felt the boy melt into the embrace, grip tightening, pulling him closer, his face burying into Jinhyuk’s shoulder. 

He allowed his head to drop even lower, his nose brushing against Wooseok’s neck and taking in his scent. He smelled like books and cotton, something warm and clean. It was addicting to him. His heart was threatening to jump out of his ribcage with how fast it was beating and he was sure that Wooseok could feel it. He himself felt the light flutter of the younger’s increased pulse against his chest, light and quick, like a bird and to him almost as small. 

He knew Wooseok was more than capable and his size was no defining factor, but just seemed so tiny and fragile to Jinhyuk at times. He felt a deep protectiveness surge up, a want to not let the other go from his arms - or to at least have him return to them, knowing he would be able to count on him. He was too far gone to deny his feelings by now. He was in too deep. 

Wooseok’s head moving against his shoulder had him return his attention to reality, though he remained unmoving. The younger turned his head, a cold nose brushing against the exposed skin of Jinhyuk’s collar. Goosebumps spread across the area and he barely suppressed a shudder. With his head turned to the side, Jinhyuk’s head was resting atop Wooseok’s forehead. 

He slowly opened his eyes (when had he closed them?) to look at the younger just as he started to turn his face upwards. Jinhyuk moved slightly back, just a centimetre. But their faces were still only an inch apart. Too close for him, too close to think properly, too close to make the right decision. 

Their eyes met again and he forgot to breathe for a moment. It was like a universe staring at him, large brown orbs even more enticing from up close, and oh so warm. There were emotions swirling in them that he was failing to read, unable to comprehend anything except their proximity, their breaths mingling, and the warmth radiating from where they were pressed together. 

His eyes trailed over the younger’s features, taking in the pointy nose, the high cheekbones, the pale skin, until they dropped down to his lips for a moment. He felt more than heard Wooseok’s breath catch at that, a short break in the mainly regular movement against his ribcage. Slowly he looked back up to discern the reaction he would receive. Wooseok hadn’t moved, but there was a new emotion in his eyes, something vaguely familiar but he couldn’t quite name it. 

Their noses brushed. They must have moved closer without them noticing, like two magnets, slowly giving up their fight and moving towards each other, pulled together by a force they no longer seemed to deny. Warm puffs of air hit his lips, and he noticed how there was a slight gap between Wooseok’s lips, beautifully arched. 

His eyes flew up again, losing himself in these deep brown eyes again, their noses brushing again, proximity decreasing. He nosed slightly along Wooseok’s cheek and leaned his forehead against the younger’s, eyes fluttering shut. He could almost feel the echo of Wooseok doing the same on his skin. 

It was tempting, truly. One centimetre forward and he could kiss him. And Jinhyuk was longing to kiss him. It was so easy. 

But there was something holding him back. An emotion he had managed to figure out, an emotion he had seen in Wooseok’s eyes often enough to know. 

Uncertainty. Indecisiveness. Conflict.

Jinhyuk was sure about his own emotions for the younger boy. But he couldn’t say the same about Wooseok. He did not know where he stood, or what he was feeling towards him. He could only guess, hope, that there was a deeper affection developing at least. But nothing sure. 

And until he couldn’t be sure, he shouldn’t press the decision.

If he kissed Wooseok now, he would be forced to decide on his emotions on the spot. And neither did he want to scare him off, nor did he want to make him feel like he was being guilt-tripped. He had to come clean with himself first. And the time of that decision was not Jinhyuk’s to make. 

He carefully moved his head to the side, burying his face in the side of Wooseok’s neck again, a slightly pained exhale leaving him. He felt how the younger stayed still for a moment before he let his head fall forward again, back against Jinhyuk’s shoulder. 

The older could hear his exhale. It sounded almost relieved. So he seemed to have made the right call. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you notice the title for this chapter? Because we are not done with this yet, and the Christmas Chapter (yes, I prepared one) will start on time next Thursday... so see you again sooon! 
> 
> Tell us how you liked this, if you want to, and feel free to talk to us in the comments and on Twitter (@chaos_kisses)


	19. Habits - Part II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I proofread like 2/3 of this, so there we go. Part 2 - enjoy!

“Don’t worry,” he whispered, as the Gryffindor on his lap kept on snoring softly, “I’m used to him falling asleep here. I’ll just keep him here.” 

Junho was sure he sounded fonder than he had intended to, but it was hard to stay serious when Yohan was curled up like a giant dog with his head in the younger’s lap. But Wooseok’s easy agreement was enough for him. 

He stroked his fingers through Yohan’s hair again, the soft black strands gliding through them silkily. When he didn’t react, Junho repeated the motion, his nails scratching slightly over his scalp. The older stirred slightly, head turning to bury in Junho’s stomach as he curled his long body into a slightly smaller ball. A tired groan sounded from the sleepy boy. 

Junho chuckled and leaned back a bit so the light was hitting Yohan’s face instead of it being hidden from view. The boy immediately tried to avoid it, sluggish movement having the arm that wasn’t buried underneath him rise up and wind around Junho’s waist to pull him closer again. But the younger just raised a hand and jabbed his fingers lightly into Yohan’s ticklish sides. 

Another groan, a flinch and the boy turned his face upwards, sporting a disgruntled expression. Junho smiled down at him.

“Yoho,” he said softly, free hand threading through Yohan’s hair again, the other raising to wave. The older let out a huff and rolled onto his back, hands coming up to rub his eyes. 

“Why?” he asked groggily. A sleepy Yohan wasn’t the most elaborate Yohan. His eyes were falling shut again.

“We gotta go to bed,” Junho responded, a chuckle in his voice. 

“But we need carrots for the reindeer.” 

The Gryffindor’s voice had reverted to a deep murmur, slightly slurred with sleep. His hand reached up, nonetheless, and he intertwined his fingers with Junho’s still raised ones. Warmth flooded through the younger boy at the cute display. 

“Is he alright?” a slightly worried voice sounded from the side. As Junho looked up he was faced with Sihoon, expression anxious. He nodded reassuringly at the sixth year, his hand not seizing the movement in Yohan’s hair. 

“He’s always like this when he’s being woken up,” he explained gently. “But I’m used to it by now. I’ve seen it often enough.” 

As if to heed his words, Yohan turned onto his side again, once again burying his face in Junho’s stomach. Warm huffs of breath travelled through the fabric of his sweater to heat the skin of his stomach and he felt Yohan snuggle into the soft wool. A smile spread on his face as he glanced down. 

“And he gets clingy,” he added. Sihoon nodded, expression relieved and somewhat somber. Junho couldn’t quite place it. But at least he wasn’t worried anymore. 

“How come you are used to this that much?” he asked, adjusting his glasses as he stepped forward and crouched next to the sofa. The younger shrugged. 

“We’ve been friends for years by now,” he started, “and we actually live pretty close to each other.” 

Many fond memories of his were related to both of their homes and the area they came from. Memories involving them, some friends, and many many hours spent together. 

“I spent as much time at his place as I do at mine and vice versa. I’ve slept over, and so did he.” 

Sihoon nodded. 

“I remember that one night last summer we stayed at the lake we went to until it was late in the evening. We had just been talking, watching the sunset, and we just didn’t watch the time. At some point we just fell asleep.” 

A chuckle rose up in him as he remembered the breeze from the lake, the wind in the trees above them, birds singing. It had been just them that day, no other friends. 

“I woke up in the middle of the night with Yohan practically wrapped around me and I realised we should probably head home. But it was impossible to wake him up,” he gestured vaguely, “and so I just fell asleep again.” 

Sihoon looked thoroughly amused by now. 

“We went home in the morning, my mum wasn’t even questioning it anymore. She just told us to go shower and then come for breakfast.” 

The older let out a laugh at that. Yohan moved a bit, as if his senses seemed to slowly return with the voices around him. 

“He always becomes a human koala when he sleeps,” Junho continued. “Nothing new for me, I have learned to untangle these long lanky limbs from me, but if he’s tired and half-awake he won’t let go that easily. He’s cuddly like this.” 

SIhoon chuckled, his eyes crinkled with mirth as they flitted from Junho to Yohan. The younger was sure that he saw another, a darker expression wash over his features for a moment, but Yohan turning his head to look up at him through bleary eyes distracted him. 

“Maybe,” he croaked out, “I just don’t want to let you go.” 

Junho halted for a moment before a lopsided smile spread on his features. 

“Maybe,” he admitted. “But you’ll have to let go soon, because I want to go to bed and we need to get there somehow.” 

“We?” Sihoon asked at the same time as Yohan said “Okay then.” 

Junho felt him tense for a moment before the Gryffindor turned onto his back fully and sat up, hair standing into every direction and eyes squinted. He looked like a giant confused sloth right now. The younger snorted, exchanging a look with Sihoon who seemed to rearrange his whole view on Yohan right now. Yohan threw his long legs off the sofa and stood up, turning around to offer a hand to Junho. 

“Shall we?” he asked with a smile on his lips. Junho nodded, grabbing his hand and standing up too just as Sihoon righted himself. 

Junho realised he hadn’t answered the older’s question and decided to do so as he started to head into the direction of the dorms, the two older boys following his example. 

“Yohan’s staying here tonight,” he clarified. “Wooseok’s alright with it, and it isn’t the first time anyway.” 

Yohan nodded along to his words, still clasping his hands. Long fingers seemed to tighten their hold slightly but that might have been Junho’s imagination. Sihoon looked taken aback a bit. 

“Really?” he asked. “I never noticed.” 

Junho hummed. 

“It isn’t that often,” he acknowledged, “but often enough for him to already have a toothbrush and some spare clothes here.” 

He giggled lightly, while Yohan scratched the back of his head in a sudden bout of shyness. 

“But both my and his roommates are used to and okay with it, so we never got into trouble.” 

At this Sihoon’s eyes widened. 

“So you,” he asked, his hand waving back and forth between the two boys, “have some…” he seemed to lack the words for it, “stuff at Yohan’s dorm too?” 

Junho nodded, lips pursed slightly. 

“It’s just easier,” Yohan jumped in, “than having to sprint back to the other tower before breakfast. And it works.”

He sounded almost defensive, and this time the younger wasn’t imagining the hold on his hand tightening. Sihoon raised his palms up, like a peace offering. 

“I’m not judging or anything,” he conceded gently, “I was just surprised.” 

His expression still seemed a bit conflicted but Junho decided to just take his word for it. He tugged lightly on Yohan’s hand, returning the tightened grip to signal the other that he was growing too intense. And almost immediately he felt the older’s position relax a bit next to him, reverting to the warm presence he liked to feel against his side. 

“I know you don’t,” he assured Sihoon, “and I know it seems weird to some. But that’s just how we work.” 

Sihoon nodded. 

“It’s fine,” he said. They had reached the dorm rooms by now and were standing in front of the seventh year’s. The older boy waved at them before he turned to the door and opened it. He threw a last glance over his shoulder with a soft smile.

“Good night then,” he whispered and closed the door. 

Junho looked at the wood for a second before he turned his head up to Yohan. 

“You know,” he stated lightly, “you don’t have to become defensive. Sihoon is not threatening you.” 

He turned around and headed towards the stairs, pulling his friend along. 

“Or us for that matter,” he added, voice slightly more quiet than before. Again, Yohan’s grip tightened but this time he sped up so they were side by side again, their shoulders brushing and their arms aligned. Junho was glad he hadn’t let go of his hand. 

“If you say so.” 

He almost missed the reply, silent and breathy as if it wasn’t supposed to be heard. And somehow the words didn’t seem as snappy from Yohan as they might have from any other person. There was something like relief in them, and something sounding like a promise. 

They reached the door to Junho’s dorm room and the younger opened the door as quietly as he could. Darkness surrounded them, with only the silver light of the moon shining in. They both tried to be as silent as possible, tiptoeing towards Junho’s bed. Eunsang was snoring in his neighbouring one, arms thrown over his pillow, mouth slightly open and illuminated by the moonlight. 

“True beauty,” Junho whispered and felt Yohan press his face into his shoulder to muffle his laugh. He left him for a moment before reaching for his toiletries and pyjamas, Yohan moving towards his trunk to pull out his spare one. 

Getting ready for bed happened in a comfortable silence, no words exchanged and shoulders occasionally brushing as they moved through the washroom. It didn’t take them long to return to the dorm room, Junho sliding into his bed first and making room for Yohan to follow. 

The beds were slightly wider than twin beds, but still a bit cramped if they tried to lay side by side without touching. But any reluctance of contact had disappeared long ago and Yohan curled right up against Junho, an arm thrown over his midriff and face tucked into his hair as the younger laid on his back. There was no use in trying to stay away as Yohan would curl up to him in his sleep anyway and it was not like Junho disliked it.

He sometimes made fun of the older for being clingy and cuddly. But the thought of pushing Yohan away had never crossed his mind. He actually enjoyed the warmth surrounding him, the familiar smell that made him feel safe and protected, the happiness that bloomed in his chest. 

He turned onto his side and felt Yohan stiffen a bit. Their faces were closed with the older’s nose now resting against his forehead and their legs almost tangling. Junho felt Yohan’s hand curl into the fabric of his sleep shirt where his hand rested, still thrown over him. He moved his own hand so one rested against the older’s chest while the other moved to Yohan’s waist. 

They were closer than usual. And he did not want to move away again. He felt more than heard how the Gryffindor seemed to draw in a deep breath as if gathering his courage before Junho felt soft lips press lightly against his forehead, almost imperceptibly. But he was hyper aware of the touch, as if all of his nerve endings were suddenly focussed there as Yohan returned to his previous position, still tense as if he expected Junho to push him away. 

But instead, he pulled him closer.

.oO°Oo.

Minhee hadn’t exactly expected to find himself face down in a corridor by the end of the evening, with the sweetest prefect he knows kneeling next to him, his face a mixture of amusement and worry. 

“Are you okay?” he asked, hand stretched out to lay gently on the younger’s shoulder as said boy looked up at him drowsily. 

He had seen the older from across the common room, heading out for what he assumed had to be his prefect rounds. So he had excused himself from the conversation he was currently in (mainly Wonjin, talking about Hyeongjun) and followed the older. But when he had hurried down the staircase to catch up, he had stumbled on one of the last steps.

It must have looked hilarious - a typical case of stumbling, and as one tried to catch themselves they started going faster while they became smaller until the feet couldn’t keep up anymore. By the time that happened Minhee had sprinted past Jungmo - with his head on the height of the older’s elbow - before he had faceplanted onto the floor, his feet flying up into the air behind him. It must have been a beautiful banana shape. 

While he was still trying to gather his bearings and retain at least some of his pride, Jungmo had come up to him, steps hurried. The older crouched down, eyes probably scanning for some obvious damage. Minhee turned his head to look at the Ravenclaw. 

Worry was etched into his features, watchful eyes flying all over his body until they settled on his face and his gaze softened a bit. Minhee felt his last braincell bid him goodbye as their eyes locked, the last brave soldier abandoning an already lost ship. Well then. 

“Did it hurt?” Jungmo’s soft voice held traces of worry but also amusement. He must have looked like a mixture of Naruto and a seal with the way he had run and landed. The amusement was more than justified. But before he could get anything out, his brain-to-mouth filter abandoned ship too and he blurted out the first thing that came to his mind. 

“That’s what I’m asking you.” 

Jungmo’s face turned into one of confusion, and he looked slightly taken aback.

“Did what hurt?” he asked slowly, as if unsure he had heard wrongly. Minhee had decided that now after digging his own grave he could finish and just lay down in it. 

“When you fell from heaven.” 

There it was. Cringeworthy, and absolutely terrible. But typical for him. He watched, anxious, as Jungmo’s expression changed through several stages of surprise, confusion and amusement before concern mixed into it again. He lifted his hand from Minhee’s shoulder and placed it onto his head again, gently prodding for any bumps or cuts. 

“Did you hit your head?” he asked. The younger decided to try and play this as cool as possible. Which wasn’t much to begin with but he had to try at least. 

He shook his head lightly and started to sit up, almost regretting to do so when Jungmo pulled his hand back. The soft touch had been nice. 

“I’m okay,” he reassured, “don’t worry.” 

On the inside he was debating with himself. This hadn’t been the first occasion where Jungmo’s presence had managed to incapacitate his brain which had him spit out some terrible pick-up lines that would have any other person cringe. But Jungmo barely reacted to them.

An especially embarrassing moment had been when Jungmo had helped him with his homework on disappearing draughts when Minhee’s traitorous brain had decided to betray him again. 

“Let me ask you a question,” he had blurted out. “If I were to ask you out on a date the answer would be the same as the answer to my previous question.” 

Jungmo had studied him for a moment, face expressionless, before he had replied with a sigh. 

“Well,” the older had started, “considering the fact that my previous answer on what would happen if you add rattlesnake poison was ‘it would be terribly dangerous and quite possibly deadly’, that would be quite worrying, but furthermore you did not really ask a single question so I’m not sure where you were going with this.” 

Not quite what he had been going for, and the conversation had been slightly awkward for a few minutes until they had gotten back to normal. 

But occasionally he had been able to make Jungmo laugh. Like that one time when he had finally understood a central concept of divination and succeeded in performing the spell to it. Relief and happiness had flooded him with Jungmo grabbing his arm in excitement. 

“My life without you would be like a broken quill.” Minhee had uttered. Jungmo had looked at him, incredulously. 

“Pointless,” the younger had continued, a sweet smile on his face. And Jungmo had laughed. A clear laugh, starting from a giggle and growing louder, his forehead leaning against Minhee’s upper arm. He had been happy that day, happy from the sound of Jungmo’s laugh. 

While he was revisiting his memories Jungmo had finished his inquisitive check-up on Minhee’s physical health and was now getting up, ready to continue on his way. 

“Wait!” The younger scrambled to his feet, barely managing to control his lanky limbs. Jungmo glanced at him, an eyebrow raised in amused question. 

“Can I follow where you’re going right now?” he asked the older, eyes averted and shyness suddenly creeping up inside him. Jungmo smiled lopsidedly. 

“I need to do my rounds,” he stated. “Why are you asking though?” 

Minhee drew in a deep breath. Here went nothing. 

“Because,” he started out, drawing strength from the small encouraging nod the prefect sent him, “my parents told me to always follow my dreams.” 

Silence surrounded them for a few seconds. Jungmo’s smile hadn’t left his face, only surprise had joined in again. The his lips split into a grin. 

“Well, considering the lines you’re spitting out we should get you to dreamland instead of having you walk around for too long.” 

His eyes left Minhee for a moment as if he too had to gather himself for his next words. The younger waited with baited breath on what was coming next. 

“But I can walk you back to your common room if you’d like.” 

Relief. That was the primary emotion that coursed through his veins. He hadn’t managed to annoy the older, at least for now. And he knew that there must be a reason for Jungmo to not outright tell him to go away, but instead offering to take him back to the Slytherin quarters. Maybe he just wanted some time to himself. Maybe he wasn’t completely comfortable with them spending time without a definitive end yet. He could understand that. And so he decided to take the offer.

A shy nod was all he could manage but it seemed to be enough for Jungmo. The Ravenclaw extended his hand toward the younger palm outstretched as if to urge him closer. Minhee knew he wasn’t supposed to take it but his fingers twitched nonetheless. It was tempting, really. 

But he managed to walk up to Jungmo who gently put his hand on Minhee’s back for a second before he let it fall to his side again, kind smile never leaving his face. They began heading down the corridor towards the stairs. It was strange, really, how Minhee managed to throw around the cheesiest of pick-up lines one moment and feel shy around the other boy the next, all his confidence suddenly gone. 

He wasn’t even sure what to say right now. 

“So, did you follow me or did you just want to get out of the common room?” Jungmo broke the silence, mirth laced into his words. Minhee actually considered his words for a second before he replied. 

“Both, I guess.” It earned him a glance, an urging to continue. 

“I saw you leave and figured I could keep you company on your rounds. But it was also getting a bit stuffy in the common room, so that might have added to it.” 

A soft chuckle at his side had him glance at the Ravenclaw. 

“That’s sweet of you but you don’t have to do that, really,” he commented on Minhee’s admittance. 

The younger shrugged, unsure how to understand. 

“I just didn’t want you to be alone,” he stated, voice almost a whisper. Silence surrounded them as they descended down the staircases, Jungmo apparently mulling over his words. 

“I don’t mind it,” he eventually replied. “Being alone I mean.” 

Minhee waited for him to continue and elaborate as they went through a patch of moonlight, a silver puddle painted onto the floor. For a moment, Jungmo was illuminated before the shadows of the night returned, casting his face into a twilight. 

“I actually enjoy it.” 

Oh. So Minhee was intruding. His steps started to slow a bit as he tried to form words, to assure the elder that he could get back on his own, that he didn’t have to give up on his time by accompanying him. But Jungmo spoke before he could. 

“Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind people. And I enjoy your company.” 

There was a sincerity in his eyes that came unexpectedly. 

“But with all the bustling in the castle, all the students milling about every day I need solitude sometimes. And at night there is quiet. There is nothing and I can sort through my thoughts. I can collect myself a bit.”

Minhee nodded. He could understand, it wasn’t unusual for someone to need time for recollection. 

“That’s also why I always go to the hidden corner in the library,” the older added. Again, Minhee felt like he was intruding. He had only known about the corner because he had searched for the older. He had invaded his privacy, hadn’t he. 

“Minhee.” 

The soft voice was closer than expected, right in front of him. His eyes regained focus and he noticed he had stopped in the middle of the corridor. Jungmo was standing right in front of him, one hand wrapped around the Slytherin’s upper arm, a reassuring and grounding warmth. 

“Stop worrying. I enjoy our time together, really.” 

Again, he couldn’t help but believe the other even with a sliver of doubt remaining. 

“I’m glad you came to find me. It makes my days more energetic to have you around, but it’s also grounding because it is a constant.”

He wasn’t sure how to reply, but as his eyes locked with Jungmo’s he was sure the older understood. And so he settled on a nod. The smile directed at him became broader. 

The rest of the way continued in silence, a comfortable but contemplative one. Jungmo was walking a bit closer than before, his fingers brushing against Minhee’s occasionally, grounding him. His by now tired mind was running in circles, going over Jungmo’s words again and again while he stayed quiet to give the older time to recollect himself. It wasn’t hard to remain silent - he was unsure what to say anyways.

When they reached the tapestry in front of the Slytherin common room, Jungmo turned around to face the younger. Minhee hadn’t expected him to do so suddenly, and his long steps brought him closer than he would have done otherwise. But Jungmo didn’t step away. He could almost feel the warmth radiate from the older. 

“Do you feel uncomfortable around me?” 

The question took the boy by surprise, his eyes widening. What was the older talking about? His confusion must have been visible on his face. Jungmo smiled and looked down hand fiddling with the hem of his sleeve. 

“It seemed like it because you were so quiet suddenly.” 

Minhee shook his head. 

“I,” he started out, voice cracking a bit. “I wasn’t sure if I was… intruding on you.” 

Jungmo’s eyes shot up again and he gently reached out to wrap his fingers around the younger’s wrist. 

“You are not,” he said seriously. “Honestly. I like being around you, so don’t you ever feel like you are intruding. Alright?” 

Minhee nodded, feeling a bit lighter this time. A smile spread over Jungmo’s face again. 

“Any final cheesy words?” he asked teasingly. The Slytherin had to think for a moment only before he opened his mouth. His voice was small.

“Roses are red, my face is too.. that only happens when I see you.”

The words did as he said: he could feel his blush rising onto his cheeks, spreading rapidly. Jungmo chuckled and averted his eyes for a moment. Then he let go of Minhee’s wrist to reach up instead. Gentle fingers brushed through the strands of hair falling into his eyes a bit. A shudder went through him and his eyes fluttered shut for a moment. 

When he opened them again, an affectionate smile was adorning the Ravenclaw’s features. 

“Red and silver,” he whispered, “is a very pretty combination.” 

The hand left his hair, brushing against his cheek lightly before Jungmo took a step back, the fondness still visible on his features. 

“Good night then,” he said. 

.oO°Oo.

A bittersweet taste. 

That was the closest he could describe it as. Sihoon hadn’t been aware that emotions could have a taste, but this was the closest thing he could come up with. 

Bitterness. Sweetness.

A taste he did not like, couldn’t ignore or make it go away. Because it wasn’t his call to make. This was just in the nature of things. 

He had known that Junho and Yohan were close, very close. He had been able to tell before, both from knowing Yohan and getting to know Junho better. But while he had been aware of it, he had thought of them as strictly platonic. Now, he was sure he had been wrong. 

Seeing them that evening, with Yohan in Junho’s lap, and witnessing their familiarity with each other’s habits, the shared stories and memories he became privy to - it had been sweet. But it had also felt like a slap to his face. 

Sihoon had noticed previously how Yohan seemed a bit standoffish at times, a bit jealous when Junho wasn’t concentrating on him. But he had never acted any different towards Sihoon, had never shown hostility. So he had brushed it aside, as a temporary thing. The boy was probably protective of his best friend, he had told himself. 

And Junho had been so sweet. At any given time. The boy was friendly, if a little shy, but intelligent and with a wittiness and an occasional weird streak that was just endearing. Sihoon had been happy to get closer to him, closer than he was before, and to see the boy not opposed to them spending an increasing amount of time together. 

But it seems he had misinterpreted the younger’s emotions. This evening had shown him things he had never seen directed at himself before, not with even a sliver of the same intensity. A deep feeling of affection that crackled like electricity between the Ravenclaw boy and his Gryffindor friend. An understanding he couldn’t fathom. A habitual interaction, created through years of increasing closeness. 

Sihoon had known that Yohan was clingy before. He had noticed the other clinging to Junho on several occasions, though he hardly tried to hog the younger boy’s attention with it. It seemed more like a habit, a silent comfort he got from it. From what Sihoon had gathered, Junho wasn’t the touchiest with most people. There were some exceptions to the rule, namely Wooseok (a miracle) and Yohan. 

But now that he thought deeper about it, he noticed the striking difference between the affection Junho showed to others compared to the one he showed to Yohan. While the boy approached people when he wanted affection, wanted to be cuddled and coddled, or just noticed them being in need of it themselves, he stayed at a normal distance at most times - a few inches separating him from people. 

But with Yohan? They seemed to be touching at any time, even in the most miniscule way. A hand on an arm, a short hug from the side, hands or shoulders brushing, legs bumping under the table. Feet that sometimes hit against each other across the space separating them in the library, fingers brushing just a tad longer when handing something over. Eyes meeting and lingering. 

These got almost lost under the hustle and bustle of everyday life, but Sihoon had noticed it. 

And then there were the larger signs, signs that should have told him to stay away but that he had ignored. Had hoped to be wrong. 

Heads in laps, fingers brushing through hair. Arms wrapping around waists, one melting into the other at a single innocent touch, hands intertwining. People intertwining, their lives so intertwined you could hardly tell them apart at times. And then they were separate again, functioning just as well without the other. But there was a difference when they were together. 

It wasn’t like two halves of a whole, codependent. It was two individuals, alright. But two individuals that knew each other well enough to compliment each other. To exist together, and fill any remaining spaces. 

He had been reminded of that observation, a realisation he dutifully pushed down before in hopes of misinterpreting their relationship. But he had been right about it from the beginning it seemed. 

It hadn’t even been the thing about them sleeping over at each other’s often enough to have some stuff there already. That had just been a new fact, surprising but not necessarily telling. It had been the obvious connection between them, the looks on their faces as they exchanged glances and gazes. 

He had tried not to show any negative emotion for it, because he could not feel anger or despise them for it. It wasn’t their fault he had gotten attached. But disappointment had been in his heart. And a feeling of regret for letting himself fall and not listening to what his mind told him. Now, he was here in his hole of self-pity he had allowed himself to get into for the remaining time of sunday. 

That hole included an armchair in the corner he had hogged since morning, a book (to hide him spacing out), a hot cup of tea and a blanket. His plan had been executed successfully for about two hours before he found himself with a touch-starved Eunsang in his lap, the tall boy having thrown himself over his lap like a large dog. His arms and legs were dangling of the by now rather crowded armchair and he was directing a pout at Sihoon. 

“Yes?” he asked with a slightly bewildered expression. The pout intensified. 

“You’re mopey.”

What an observant boy. Curse his friends sometimes. 

“You’re like a dark cloud of gloom hanging in the corner.” 

Sihoon raised an eyebrow. Exaggeration belonged to the things Eunsang was good at. But still, he decided to wait and see what the younger was getting at instead of trying to defend himself. 

“Is it because of yesterday?” 

An innocent enough question. He could answer that.

“Guess I’m a bit tired.”

Eunsang’s expression became unreadable for a second. Then he spoke again. 

“I mean because of Junho and Yohan.” 

Oh. That was closer to home than expected. Again, he cursed the observation skills of the younger. But still: he tried to remain neutral.

“Yeah, we stayed up late.” 

Eunsang averted his eyes to the ceiling and sighed. Then he moved his hands to clasp over his chest, and drew his legs up to rest on the armrest. His long body was more or less curled up in Sihoon’s lap, pinning him down. When Eunsang looked back at his face, his eyes seemed to bore into the older. 

“Hyung,” he started with no whine left in his voice, “I know Yohan slept over. And know how clingy he gets with Junho. I know them together, they are disgustingly sweet sometimes.”

His voice seemed to trail off, as if his mind had travelled to a memory of the past for a second before it came back. 

“And I know you’re into Junho.”

Seems he had underestimated just how observant Eunsang was. 

“Hyung, you’re not as sneaky as you think you are. Your emotions are usually written on your face, you’d have to be a bit oblivious to not notice them.”

That was a rather worrying revelation. Now that Eunsang had said it Sihoon didn’t see any use in denying it anymore. 

“Do you think he knows?” he asked, voice just above a whisper. Eunsang looked contemplative for a moment. 

“I don’t think he does,” he replied slowly. “But as I said, you’d have to be a bit oblivious and Junho definitely is. But I think Yohan noticed.” 

Sihoon nodded. He had noticed signs of jealousy in his classmate, after all, but had chalked them down under protectiveness, not awareness of his own emotions. 

“I know,” he stated. “Or at least I think so.” 

Silence fell over them for another second. Sihoon tried to think about what Eunsang had told him just now but he couldn’t concentrate on it. His senses honed in on his surroundings instead: the slightly stale air, the crackle of the fire, quiet conversation, steps on the staircases, scratching quills on parchment. The warmth Eunsang emitted, the smooth texture of the book pages he was still touching. His own heartbeat in his ears, faster than usual. Anything to keep his mind occupied. 

“What are you going to do?” 

The question, asked in all possible neutrality, was loaded nonetheless. Eunsang hadn’t implicated any direction he expected Sihoon to go in. It was a legit question: what was he going to do? Ignore his feelings? Or pursue them? Tell Junho or stay quiet? Tell Yohan to try and figure the whole thing out? Or just try to actively overcome the emotions haunting him? But how? He did not want to ignore Junho, but neither was he sure that he could easily forget about his feelings with a constant proximity to the younger. 

“I don’t know yet,” he admitted. “I’m not even sure anymore if I had a chance, or how far their relationship has progressed.” 

Eunsang threw him a look, questioning. 

“I know there’s more between them,” Sihoon relented, “but if I don’t know…” 

He wasn’t sure how to word it. But Eunsang seemed to get it. 

“I don’t know if I should encourage or discourage you either,” he replied. “Because I know how they are. But that does not mean that they,” he airquoted, “are 'inevitable'. One of them has to get their head out of their ass and confess if they want to get anywhere.” 

Sihoon nodded.

“And if anything, in my opinion it would have to be Yohan because I am not sure how aware Junho is of his feelings.” 

“What do you mean?” Sihoon inquired, eyebrows furrowed. Eunsang shuffled around for a moment. 

“They are so close that I’m not sure Junho is actively distinguishing between his affections for Yohan as a friend and something more.”

The younger looked troubled for a moment. 

“I’m not trying to paint him a emotionally constipated or unable to understand his emotions,” he added with more force behind his words, “but I have a feeling that he is just so used to them, to them together by now that he…” he seemed to struggle for a word, “forgets about the possibility of being in love with him.” 

That sounded sensible, actually. They were hardly ever apart. Eunsang tapped his fingers together, eyes focussed on them, and his voice more quiet and pensive. 

“And if this is the case he might easier develop feelings for someone he isn’t that used to yet.” 

Sihoon raised his eyebrows. Eunsang groaned and rubbed his hands over his face, frustrated. 

“That sounds like I want to bring the two of them apart,” he said through his fingers, “but I want you to be happy too, and Junho and Yohan might not work themselves out, or we are just falsely interpreting everything. I don’t know.”

He threw his hands in the air pointedly at his last words, almost hitting Sihoon in the face. Both boys froze for a second, Eunsang wide eyed, Sihoon a bit surprised. Then, as if the tension was suddenly lifted like a veil, they started giggling. 

“Dear god,” Eunsang breathed out between gasps, “we are dramatic.” 

“True,” Sihoon agreed. It took them a minute or two to calm down again. But when they did, Eunsang suddenly sat up, the rapid movement almost having him fall off Sihoon’s lap. 

“I know what we need,” he stated. 

“Tea and biscuits?” the older asked teasingly. Eunsang laughed and nodded, but waved his hand in negation. 

“An outsider’s opinion!” he revealed. The older nodded slowly, eyebrows knitting together. The boy had a point.

“While I agree,” he commented, “I wonder how you expect to find someone in a boarding school to be neutral, especially with most of the school a least knowing Yohan.” 

Eunsang grinned and slid off Sihoon’s lap, onto his feet. 

“Who said it was someone from the school?” he asked with a grin. The older’s eyes widened as he expanded their possible options. 

“You mean…?”

“Yup.”

“But how are we…?”

“Follow me!”

The wording might have been a suggestion, but the hand grabbing his wrist and yanking him up nullified that as an option. Sihoon felt laughter well up in him as Eunsang dragged him towards the door and out of the common room, a laughter he was sure would sound hysterical if he let it sound.

He let himself get dragged through the castle, earning a few confused glances on the way. They must make a funny pair, he thought, with Eunsang a picture of excitement and determination and Sihoon grinning like a madman in an attempt to suppress his maniacal cackle.

Down the stairs and corridors they went, not running, but walking quickly, until they reached the third floor. Eunsang stopped in front of the room for muggle studies, carefully pressing the handle down. And the door opened. 

That explained a lot. It explained how he held contact with his boyfriend outside of letters, how he could always tell some new stories from home, and most of all: how he hadn’t gotten dejected or sad by now. Sihoon new a sad Eunsang. He had seen a homesick Eunsang in first year, had seen Eunsang miss his family and friends, had seen him cry after an exchange student, he had befriended in third year, had left. He had been scared of a lovesick Eunsang, lovesick from not being able to talk to the person he had fallen for. But this explained a lot. 

Before anyone could catch them Eunsang pulled them into the room and closed the door, heading straight for the corner furthest from the door where they couldn’t be seen that easily. He slid to the floor and pulled out his phone, gesturing for Sihoon to do the same. 

When the older was sitting next to him Eunsang grinned. 

“Now play nice. I’ve told Junghwannie of you but he doesn’t know about anything magic related, okay?” Eunsang had an easy smile on his face, but heaviness weighed down his words. It must be hard to keep something so large, and so central of his daily life from Junghwan. But Sihoon knew it was for the best until they had been together for a longer time, better and easier for Junghwan to not know. 

And Eunsang knew so too. That did not make it easier though. 

Eunsang swiped and tapped at his screen a few times until the signal for the number being dialed sounded. It took only a few beeps before the line cracked a bit and a voice came through over speaker. 

“Hey Eunsangie.” 

The voice was calm and melodic, as if it would sound nice while singing. Sihoon vaguely recalled Eusang talking about singing with his boyfriend. If the person was like his voice Sihoon could approve of him. 

“Hi,” Eunsang answered. His voice had taken on a softer tone than before, something laced with affection and fondness. 

“How are you doing?” The question would have sounded formal but somehow it fit Junghwan to ask like this: polite, but in a comforting way, as if he was ready for any emotion coming at him next, and prepared and willing to catch Eunsang. Sihoon glanced sideways and was almost taken aback by the look on his friends face. 

There was a glow in his eyes he had never seen before, emotions painted over his face, and his smile told of his happiness to hear Junghwan’s voice. Sihoon almost felt like he was intruding. 

“I’m doing good,” Eunsang replied easily. “But you know, we need your help with something.” 

“We?” He had picked up on it directly. An attentive one. A nice addition to Eunsang’s occasional scatterbrained tendency. 

“I’ve got Sihoon hyung here with me, Jung, and you’re on speaker.” Eunsang giggled. Junghwan made a slightly startled noise that turned into a chuckle.

“You should have told me,” he scolded jokingly. “Hello Sihoon. I’ve heard quite a bit about you before.” 

Sihoon could almost picture the smile the other boy must have while speaking. It was audible through his voice. 

“Hello to you too!” he replied, leaning into Eunsang a bit to not have to shout at the phone. “Eunsang’s talking about you a lot, so it almost feels like I know you already.” 

This time the laughter was louder but genuine. 

“Is he now?” A slightly teasing undertone had snuck into the muggle boy’s voice and Eunsang was waving his hands around as if he could stop him that way, a blush adorning his features. 

“That’s cute, Eunsangie.” A pause. “I miss you too.” 

Sihoon almost cooed at Eunsang’s rapidly darkening colour. The younger was truly adorable like this. 

“Anyway,” the youngest said pointedly, “we need your opinion on something.” 

“Alright.” 

So there they went. Sihoon mentally prepared himself. Somehow, he was glad he couldn’t see Junghwan - it made it easier to talk to him about this. 

“So Sihoon is having boy troubles.” Eunsang started but Junghwan spoke almost immediately. 

“Are you sure you want to talk to me about that?” His voice was not unkind, but both boys were unsure how to respond. Junghwan seemed to understand their silence. 

“Don’t get me wrong,” he continued, “I’d be happy to help. But for one I don’t know anything about it or Sihoon at that and wouldn’t want to intrude in his matters without knowing he’s fully okay with that. And on the other hand I’ve never had any boy troubles either because there’s been only you, Eunsangie.” 

Oh wow. That had taken a much sweeter turn that Sihoon - or Eunsang at that - had expected. By now, Eunsang resembled a tomato and was hiding his face in Sihoon’s shoulder, quietly whining while the older was a bit speechless. He would have understood if the other boy had just been uncomfortable with being involved in his personal mess, but this was a very considerate point of his to make. He carefully took Eunsang’s phone from his hand and wrapped an arm around the younger in the process. 

“That’s really nice of you to say,” he started slowly, “but I would be completely fine with it and you not knowing anyone would also be perfect because we need an outside perspective.” 

Junghwan hummed. 

“If that’s the case then I’ll be happy to help,” he offered. 

“Hyung.” 

Eunsang’s whine caught them by surprise. The younger had found his voice again, but was apparently still gathering his bearings after Junghwan’s words because he stayed quiet after that one word. 

Junghwan chuckled. 

“I wasn’t joking, or sweet talking, you know?” he said. “It’s just the truth.” 

Eunsang buried back into Sihoon’s shoulder. 

“The main problem was to gather if you were just affectionate or actually interested, to be honest.”

Eunsang perked up at that. 

“True,” he remarked. “Same problem here.” 

Sihoon suppressed his giggle. Their dynamic was cute, but you could see that they were still getting to know and used to each other. He was almost excited to see how they would develop. 

“Okay,” Eunsang started with determination. “So the boy problems.” 

“Hit me.” Junghwan jumped in. Eunsang nodded, not remembering the older wouldn’t see it. 

“Okay, so I told you about Junho, right?” 

“The quiet one from your house?” 

“Exactly.” 

“You like him?” The question was directed at Sihoon. He hummed in agreement, not trusting his voice completely. 

“He sounded like a nice enough guy, but I guess there is a catch.” 

He seemed well informed. Impressive. Or Eunsang was talking a lot. 

“The catch is his best friend, Yohan. The guy with the sports scholarship?” 

“I remember him. He was a different house, right?” 

“Exactly.” 

“Okay, give me a sec to remember them.” 

Eunsang and Sihoon both fell silent, Eunsang relaxed, Sihoon growing more tense. The younger cast a glance at him and smiled. 

“Junghwan has a really good memory,” he whispered, “he just needs a second to gather all he knows again.” 

“And he’s done hunting and gathering,” the slightly tinny voice sounded from the speaker again. “They are the ones with the long-time friendship that seem like opposites, right? Tell me about the issue then.” 

And so, Eunsang launched into a retelling of what had transpired in the course of the school year, adding in his own observations and letting Sihoon add his thoughts. Junghwan listened to them, only humming occasionally. A few times he asked a question for clarification. In the end he stayed quiet for a minute before he sighed. 

“Okay,” he started, “So from everything you told me I think….” 

He trailed off for a second while the two boys waited with baited breath. Junghwan sighed again. 

“Okay this may sound harsh but hear me out okay?” Eunsang and Sihoon both voiced their affirmation, more and more curious about the older’s judgment on their dilemma. The next words were directed at the older Ravenclaw. 

“If I were you, Sihoon, I’d say to let it go.” 

So there it was. 

“In my opinion, based on everything you told me and what Eunsang has told me over the last months, you’d be setting yourself up for a worse heartbreak than trying to get over it now.” 

Sihoon hummed, noncommittally, while Eunsang looked conflicted. 

“If it was the case of there being a feasible chance of you ‘getting in Yohan’s way’” - the audible air quotes added some humour - “I’d tell you to go for it, and that it would be worth it, even if you still might…” he struggled to form the sentence, “fail in your endeavour.” 

He was making a point. 

“But here?” Sihoon could picture the other leaning his head against the wall. “I don’t think it would be good for either party involved to try and pursue it. If their relationship is already as strong, all that might grow from it is distrust, confusion and jealousy - and I don’t think that’s worth it if you cherish both friendships that you hold with them.” 

Sihoon sighed quietly. There was a pressure on his heart, a slight constriction in his chest. But he couldn’t help but agree with Junghwan’s arguing. Eunsang hadn’t lost his conflicted expression. 

“I really would like to tell you that it will be fine, that everything will work out. But honestly? I don’t think it would be.” 

“So what do you think he should do?” Eunsang asked, voice somewhere between resignation and challenge. Junghwan contemplated for a second, but before he could reply Sihoon spoke up. 

“I’ll have to try and get over it.” He was surprised by the finality his voice held. More stable than he himself had expected it to be. 

“I’ll have to see if I can continue like this and accept it, and hope for the feelings to pass or change - and if it doesn’t work…” 

What would he do if it didn’t work? He wasn’t prepared for that thought process. Luckily, Eunsang seemed to have considered it. 

“If it doesn’t work,” he quietly said, “I think it might be for the best to tell Junho.” 

That was a rather unexpected notion. Sihoon’s head shot around to look at his friend. Junghwan seemed sceptical.

“Why do you think so?” the older asked his boyfriend calmly. Eunsang leaned his head back against the wall.

“Out of all of us I know Chacha the best,” he started, “and I know that even if Sihoon told him, he wouldn’t hold it against him. That is one thing I am absolutely sure about.” 

Junghwan hummed, urging the younger to continue. 

“I’m not saying you should tell him as a last measure to see if something would be reciprocated. But if you tell him with the context of trying to get over him you could actually try to work it out. This way you could avoid accidentally ghosting him, or putting your friendship on the backburner.” 

“That,” Sihoon commented, “is actually a very good point.” 

“Not telling him what’s going on but staying away suddenly would hurt him,” Eunsang carried on, “and that would be counterproductive. But if you tell him, he will understand.”

“That’s sensible. Communication to avoid misunderstandings.” Sihoon nodded to Junghwan’s statement. He might not be happy with the conclusion they had reached but it was for the best. Not even probably, but most definitely. Yesterday night had shown him that. 

“Sihoon?” Junghwan asked gently. “I know this is not the ideal solution. But remember, this too will pass and you’re not alone, okay?” 

“Exactly,” Eunsang jumped in. “If you need to talk, you can always find us.” 

Sihoon knew he meant himself and their friends by us. Junghwan’s voice sounded again. 

“And you can always talk to me too, okay?” His words warmed Sihoon’s heart. “Just have Eunsang give you my number and don’t be shy to text or call me.” 

Eunsang smiled, expression dopey. But Sihoon shared the sentiment. He had managed to find an incredibly sweet person in Junghwan, kind and sensible. 

“I will,” he assured, determination lacing his words. “And I might not like it but eventually I’ll be fine.”

“That’s the spirit!” Eunsang cheered. Sihoon laughed, genuine. 

“Now,” he said, “after all that sad talk I should leave you two to it and give you some space.” 

He was already moving to get up but two voices stopped him.

“You can stay!”

“You don’t have to leave.” 

A short silence ensued before all three of them broke into laughter. 

“But seriously,” Junghwan added. “You don’t have to go.” 

Sihoon exchanged a look with Eunsang. He didn’t want to intrude on more of their time than he already had. But the younger looked at him pleadingly, his fingers wrapped around his wrist. 

“Hyung, really,” he said, “stay.” 

Sihoon relented. He couldn’t say no to the younger, and if he was perfectly honest he felt rather comfortable with the two boys. For now, and only this time, he told himself, he would stay. 

“Sooooo,” Junghwan dragged out, “should I tell you about how some idiots managed to almost blow up our chemistry lab this week?”

It turned out school needed to actually check if the chemicals really were properly locked.


	20. Christmas special - Part I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, we have Part I out of II - so we'll post again on Monday! Tough it's slightly past Christmas already, enjoy this festive (?) Chapter

“Okay, so I was sitting there,” 

“Barbeque sauce on my…”

“Don’t you dare end that sentence, Donghyun!” 

The words were accompanied by a light slap against the back of the head of said boy who flinched at the contact. Seungwoo leaned back again from where he had been hanging over Hyunbin to reach the younger Hufflepuff and current verbal offender. 

“Continue, Hyeongjun,” he added with a now soft smile and grabbed the potatoes he had originally aimed for until Donghyun’s attempt at humor had reached his ears. While he usually had no qualms at all with students bringing muggle culture and slang into Hogwarts and enjoyed seeing them mingle with that second side of their reality, Donghyun had recently taken to quoting Vines at almost everything. Which was annoying because the boy only knew about four. 

And so, Seungwoo had decided to see it as his hallowed prefect duty to save everyone’s patience and put a damper on the newly found habit. 

From the corner of his eye he saw Donghyun pout and Yunseong - who had once again deserted his own table for theirs - chuckle and pat his friend’s hand before he too went to face Hyeongjun again. The younger boy had just been telling a story about how he managed to almost melt his entire cauldron and only Dohyon’s quick reaction had saved both of them from being flooded with Confusing Concoction. 

“So,” the small boy started again, “I was just sitting there and had taken a quick look at the potion before trying to raise the temperature. And I must not have been paying attention because I added the chopped three-tail-lizard tails before reheating and the whole thing started bubbling - including the cauldron!”

The boy was speaking animatedly, hands gesturing to emphasize his words and almost hitting Minkyu at some point who was listening attentively. 

“And I was right in front of it, but before it could drip into the fire or anything, Dohyonnie jumped in and managed to transform it into a big ball of jelly!”

Yunseong snorted at the mental image, and Seungwoo didn’t try to hide his smile either. The sight must have been an amusing one: a confused Hyeongjun, a tall but adorable Dohyon - full of determination, and knowing the boy, with his eyebrows scrunched - and a big ball of gelatinous goo. 

“And somehow - I don’t how he did it, really - he had it become solid, but something went wrong and the ball did not become solid, but like a flummy and started bouncing around the room! And then Professor Kim finally noticed but she had forgotten her glasses that day and so she was waddling after it with squinted eyes!” 

By now Yunseong’s laughs had become breathless wheezes and Donghyun was trying not choke on his pumpkin juice. Seungwoo had stopped eating - a precaution by now - and was looking at an amazed Minkyu who was sitting there with his mouth open, eyes shining with mirth. Hyeongjun was grinning. 

“So she was going after it and mumbling ‘Oh, no, no, no, no, no!’ when the door opened and Professor Sejeong came in right as the ball bounced into her direction. And she just screamed, whipped out her wand and turned it into a cloud of beautiful butterflies!” 

‘Ohhhs’ resounded from the gathered boys, still hunched over their lunch. If Seungwoo did not know the people involved, he would have said that Hyeongjun was exaggerating. But Confusing Concoction always lead to chaos, and Professor Kim Sohye was known for her ability in brewing potions - but also her manner of being a bit scatterbrained at times. 

Back in his fourth year, someone had actually tried his potion without thinking, which lead to some strange spells and the whole class hanging from the ceiling with their feet stuck to it like large bats. Their field of gravity had been reverted for a few hours. Navigating the school had been a lot harder than before and without Seungsik, Seungwoo would probably had gotten lost. But together they had managed not to trip over any chandeliers or run into a pillar. Only the domed ceilings had been a challenge - it had been like running through a valley. 

Hyeongjun had apparently finished and was now leaning back in his seat, Minkyu next to him contemplative. 

“But what went wrong in the first place?” he asked. 

Donghyun grinned and leaned over. 

“Hyeongjun,” he asked, “what did the potion smell like?” 

The smaller boy thought about it with his lips pursed before answering. 

“Something strong,” he replied, “and pungent. Not really nice.” 

Donghyun leaned back and looked at Yunseong. 

“The grass?” he asked and the Ravenclaw nodded. 

“Definitely.” The older looked at Hyeongjun with a lopsided smile. “Smelling the potion is very potent too, because it is being absorbed via the various membranes the potion touches. The potion itself is brewed with scurvy grass which causes a kind of inflammation to enhance the confusion or madness that follows.”

Donghyun took over. 

“The grass itself is already very strong, and so the potion has to essentially be watered down and ‘specified’ to reach the intended outcome instead of pure confusion. The Confundus charm directs that and some previous ingredients become changed in their structure. So when you breathed it in it confused you and caused you to act practically mad for a second.” 

Hyeongjun perked up and snapped his fingers. 

“And that’s why I threw in the lizard tails before I should have! Because they were the ingredient Professor Kim had warned us about before, because it can react strongly.” 

The GoldenChemi Duo nodded proudly at the younger boy and Seungwoo couldn’t help but feel amazed. Those two really knew what they were talking about, and it astonished him every time how anyone could have that much knowledge on potions from the get go - and actually apply it. 

“But what made the spell by Dohyon go wrong?” That was the question he had been pondering on. Dohyon was capable for his age, and the transfiguration of anything into goo was not that hard, especially with potions. It was a spell designed to be more or less immune to what it was put up against. 

To his surprised, Tony perked up from his place next to Yunseong. 

“I can answer that, actually,” he commented shyly. “It was the Lizard tails.”

He turned to Hyeongjun, glancing around the Ravenclaw in his way.

“Just to confirm,” he asked. “It was a three-tailed lizard with dark red spots? A bit darker than the Gryffindor colours?” 

Hyeongjun nodded. 

“That lizard is actually native to the area Ilvermorny is in.” he started. “We get taught to avoid it because it has an advantage to defend itself: It can secret a weird fluid that when it reacts with Oxygen will turn into a foam. And when this foam comes in contact with magic - and any magic at that - it will turn into a rubber-like substance.”

That was an interesting little fact Seungwoo had never heard before, and that puzzled him. 

“How,” he inquired curiously, “is that a direct advantage? Except for diversion to escape maybe.” 

Tony met his eyes before he replied. 

“Safety,” he replied simply. “For a matter of fact, most predators in that area may be dangerous, but all of their teeth fail on one substance, which is rubber. The texture of it is not made to shatter, and they can’t rip it apart that easily. The lizard usually make like a little ball or dome to hide under and leave a tiny hole in the side. The rubber sticks to the surrounding area and can’t be lifted, at least not from solid ground. Most predators just give up after a bit.” 

Donghyun gasped. “Oh my god, I finally get it now!” he exclaimed, clapping his hands excitedly. Yunseong looked puzzled but excited nonetheless. 

“What?” he asked, leaning forward and Donghyun grinned broadly. 

“Why that lizard tail is added lastly. Not just because it reacts strongly.” 

Yunseong fell back into his chair. “Because of the secretion,” he breathed out. “Of course.” 

At this Hyunbin looked up. The boy had previously focused on his food and only listened instead (oversleeping had deprived him of breakfast), but now he seemed to be ready to join. 

“But there was no foam. Only the tails. We had to cut them in half into bottom and top before we added them.” 

Like one person, GoldenChemi swung around with an almost menacing grin. 

“Not foam,” they announced. “Secretion.” 

Seungwoo clapped his hands as realization hit him. 

“Secretion,” he explained to a slightly puzzled Hyunbin, “means that it can be given off at will here. And because the pores would have to open the secretion would react with air too early, so I guess,” he glanced at Tony in question, “there are two kinds of glands and the chemicals only meet on the skin.” 

The exchange student nodded with a bright smile. 

“That’s why you need to cook them,” Yunseong added. “So the secretion is released and mixes, but without reacting and turning into foam. And the temperature for Hyeongjun was too low and then Dohyon jumped in and….”

“Baaam,” Donghyun continued, “foam reaction due to lack of temperature and reaction to magic. And that’s why confundus is spoken before you add the tails - because you would end up with a rock-solid mass of potion otherwise.” 

Hyunbin turned to Seungwoo. 

“Sometimes, they scare me,” he whispered and Seungwoo chuckled. The younger boy was cute like this, confused sometimes but smart. But GoldenChemi were a force of nature. He was interrupted when a small hand tapped his shoulder. 

“Excuse me, but I need to borrow Mr. Han for a moment,” the voice of their house teacher, Professor Choi Yoojung sounded. Seungwoo turned around with a smile and went to get up, towering over the small witch. He nodded at the boys. 

“Behave,” he mock threatened and then turned back to his teacher, who started for the doors of the Great Hall. He had a free period after which he guessed was the reason she had only spoken to him when lunch was almost over and he had had time to eat properly. 

Upon reaching the entrance hall, she took a few more steps from a gaggle of students that had gathered and turned to Seungwoo with a smile. 

“I assume I’m right to think Seungsik told you he’s coming home over Christmas?” she asked and the Hufflepuff nodded. 

“He wrote it in letter a few weeks ago, he will be here in time for the Yule Ball.” 

His heart rate picked up at the thought. It had been almost four months since he had seen the younger and the prospect of reuniting soon was an exciting one. 

Yoojung nodded. 

“I have contacted Mahoutokoro and they confirmed that he will be sent by floo powder through a multi connection system tomorrow morning. I would need you to be there and take over after they have arrived, as oldest prefect of our house. Think you can squeeze it in?” 

The words sounded like an already settled decision, but Seungwoo could hear the slight falter in his teacher’s voice. It was short notice and he knew Yoojung would understand if other obligations had come up already, but luckily he was free. There was just something else that irked him a bit. 

“It’s no problem,” he started, “but who do you mean with them? I thought only Seungsik was in Japan, from Hogwarts at least.” 

Yoojung nodded, understanding his surprise. 

“He’s bringing another student who is considering a year abroad on one hand and wants to visit relatives in England on the other,” she explained. “They are starting a few days earlier on the holiday, so he’ll be able to have a look at how classes work and see the school.” 

That explained it - and Seungwoo suddenly remembered that it was Monday today. Only a few more days until the holidays started. 

“Seungsik will lead him around and we’ll find some students who he can accompany to their classes, but we need an official prefect for him as a guide - you know the paperwork - so I was hoping I could count on you.” 

Seungwoo nodded again, still somewhat taken aback. Seungsik hadn’t told him about anyone he was bringing, so it must have been short notice for him either, or another reason he hadn’t told the older. But he would find out in due time.

Yoojung clapped at his affirmation. 

“Great!” she exclaimed. “They’ll arrive at 7.30 AM, so it’s perfect that you have a free first period. Come to my office by then please, and don’t worry, it won’t take long.” 

And with that she turned around and headed towards the Grand Staircase, a spring in her step, while the boy stayed behind, still trying to understand everything. 

.oO°Oo. 

The next morning had him head to Professor Yoojung’s office right after a quick cup of coffee in the Great Hall. If he was needed for proper human interaction, he needed the basis for that. And tea just wasn’t enough here. Sighing, he climbed up the steps to the floor the office was on. The only students he encountered were some sleepy Ravenclaws, but most students hadn’t left their towers and common rooms yet. Understandable - most people didn’t come before half past eight at earliest when lessons started at nine fifteen. 

Seungwoo himself was not a morning person exactly, but he was okay with it, usually needing a little pick-me-up that came in either the form of a coffee or a certain person that he was soon to see again. If a little spring appeared in his step at the thought, then no one would have to know. 

The door to Professor Yoojung’s office was slightly open when he turned onto the corridor and he could hear soft voices float through the gap. Apparently, Nurse Sun was there too - probably to ensure that both arriving students were safe and sound before they were sent off into the wilderness of Hogwarts. 

Seungwoo knocked lightly against the door and stuck his head through the gap to announce his presence. Both women looked at him, with a mild gaze in Nurse Sun’s case, and a bright smile from the Professor. A third unexpected figure was lounging on the sofa, head precariously drooping over a book that was probably more cover than actual study material, considering it was upside down. The figure shot up at the knock. 

“Ah, Seungwoo, perfect timing,” Professor Yoojung said. “They should be arriving any moment now, we got word from the Chinese station that they passed through a few minutes ago. They should be somewhere around Kazakhstan at the moment, maybe reaching Ukraine already.” 

“Kazakhstan has some beautiful dragons!” the figure on the couch - which turned out to be Professor Yoon Jisung of Care of Magical Creatures - added his two cents. “Beautiful creatures, and really small actually. Just around three to four feet and coloured like sand, but they are one of the only kind of their species to hunt in groups instead of being solitary which is amazing in itself. I’ve been swarmed by a group of nestlings once, they were still tiny and curious and crawling all over me - they just wanted to play! It was adorable and I….” 

The cascade of words was suddenly interrupted by a shriek. While he was speaking, Professor Yoon had turned around to face the rest of the room, a glow appearing in his eyes as he told them about the dragons. That was, until a bright red light had exploded right in front of him, followed by a small flame in the air that grew until it was the size of a fist and then disappeared, a piece of parchment appearing in its stead. 

Seungwoo flinched violently while both women stayed completely relaxed, Yoojung heading over to snatch the note from the air. She studied it for a moment, features holding anticipation. Then she smiled. 

“They have savely passed Archedinskaya.” 

Nods came from Professor Yoon and Nurse Sun, while Seungwoo just managed an unintelligent ‘Huh?’. The previous mention of Kazakhstan had already thrown him for a loop, but he didn’t even know what the word that had just left his house teacher’s lips had meant. Three pairs of eyes turned to look at him, ranging from amused to understanding. 

“Archedinskaya,” Nurse Sun explained, “is a small research point in Russia, right in the strip separating Kazakhstan and Ukraine. The boys just passed there via floo gates.” 

“O-kay?” Seungwoo replied slowly, puzzlement still obvious in his features. He wasn’t too sure what this had to do with anything but okay. 

“We are sending them to Hogwarts through a network of connected fireplaces,” Professor Yoon jumped in. “The distance is too long for port key without the danger of splintering or time-place delays - Tony was already a risk, even with the time pocket.” 

Seungwoo nodded. This much he understood. 

"But the difference with Japan is that there is less way over open waters and mainly over land,” Professor Yoon continued. “Which makes it easier to create a floo chain - connected fireplaces that lead them from a starting point over various checkpoints to their destination. They don’t have to re-enter at every checkpoint, but they slow down there, and the one responsible for the fireplace sends off a reverse fire message as you saw.”

Seungwoo nodded slowly in realisation. 

“So if they get lost, you would know between which checkpoints they were last and can narrow the search!” 

Yoojung nodded in excitement. “And can you guess the reason they are slowing down?” 

The prefect thought about it for a moment. 

“Well, on one hand if they slow down, there is time for the one responsible to send the message,” he joked. “But I guess if they slow down repeatedly, it decreases the probability of them spiralling into the wrong ‘tube’.” 

“Exactly,” Professor Yoojung exclaimed. “We tried to keep it to a minimum of checkpoints to make the travel time shorter for them but to still keep them safe.” 

“We have seven checkpoints, not including Mahoutokoro and Hogwarts,” Professor Yoon jumped in again. “They start from Japan, then they go to Jeju Island off the shore of South Korea, and from there to a Buddhist monastery in China, called Haobasi. Next up was Xiaojindao in the middle of a lake in China - they research a special kind merfolk there - and jump over to Kyrgyzstan, to Novovoznesenovka.” 

“Next up was Archedinskaya, as you saw and we should receive word from Prague next, when they pass Czech. The last point before Great Britain is in France,” Nurse Sun added. 

Professor Yoojung sighed whistfully. 

“Mont Saint-Michel,” she said with a soft glint in her eyes. “We went there for our honeymoon.” 

Professor Yoon threw her a glance. 

“What,” he asked, “were you two doing in a monastery?” 

“Getting married,” the head of Hufflepuff shot back with a grin. “We went to Scandinavia from there afterwards.” 

Seungwoo couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped him at the light banter in the room and how natural all of it was. When the flame of the next reverse fire note lit up next to his head, he barely flinched and just grabbed it. 

“Prague is safely passed,” he announced. 

“Should only be mere minutes then,” Professor Yoon yawned. “The European distances are shorter.”  
And true to his words it took only about a minute before the next message lit up. 

“Mont Saint-Michel,” Nurse Sun said. “Take your positions!” 

Seungwoo floundered where he was for a moment, unsure what she meant by that, but a short look from the teachers told him that he was to just wait it out while they took positions in a half circle around the fireplace. 

To anyone who would have entered at that point, the sight would have been spooky: Seungwoo in a safe distance and the two teachers flanking the school’s nurse in front of the fireplace. Embers were glowing in a dark red and the sun hadn’t risen outside yet. Darkness was shrouding the corners and only the glow of the embers and several gas lamps scattered throughout the room cast their yellow light. 

Nothing happened for a few moments. There was absolute silence in the room, safe for the sound of breathing. Then, as if someone had opened a door, flames started licking from the embers as if someone was blowing onto it. The flames grew higher slowly until a gust of wind blew through the room, hot and dry and with the slight tang of salt that was so characteristic for the sea. The flames suddenly turned green like emeralds, flickering and dancing in the constant breeze until another gust blew through the office. 

Two rapidly turning figures appeared in the flames, seemingly gaining in solidity and losing velocity with their feet barely above the embers. The two figures were closely embracing, one somewhat taller than the other and shielding them. As they slowed down, Seungwoo could make out Seungsik’s tightly closed eyes, his ash blond hair falling over his forehead and sticking up from the journey. The smaller figure he was holding had their face buried in his robes, only a shock of dark red hair visible and his bright baby blue robes. The smaller was clutching tightly onto Seungsik, with the other holding him to his chest just as tight. Seungwoo felt an unreasonable pang of jealousy in his heart. 

As their speed slowed down even more, the teachers stepped forward, each grabbing for the boys and pulling them out of the fireplace in one swift move. Nurse Sun immediately stepped up to them and with the teachers crowding the students, Seungwoo could not see anything. He heard the nurse and Professor Yoojung introduce themselves and ask questions regarding their health and journey, while Professor Yoon seemed to set of the response to the checkpoints and Mahoutokoro that both had arrived safely. 

Seungsik’s soft voice wafted over, as well as an unfamiliar male voice. But the prefect could not make out words. He saw Nurse Sun grab her wand and mumble something - probably a check-up spell to make sure they were uninjured before she stepped aside and waved Seungsik forward. 

“We still have to check up on him and go through a few formalities,” she told him and glanced over at Seungwoo. “It shouldn’t take long so just wait for a few.” 

Seungsik nodded with a kind smile while the older Hufflepuff felt somewhat frozen. There was an ache in his heart at seeing the younger in front of him again. An ache that told him just how much he had missed him. Seungsik’s eyes shifted from Nurse Sun - who had turned back to the boy - over to where Seungwoo was waiting, a grin splitting his face and making his eyes crinkle. 

Seungwoo felt a laugh bubble up in his throat as he melted from his frozen state, reciprocating the grin and taking a slightly shaky step forward, arms outstretched. Seungsik jerked forward immediately, only two long strides separating him from the older which he passed quickly. They fell into each other’s arms, warmth melting into corresponding warmth, bodies fitting together like puzzle pieces, arms winding around shoulders and waists.

Seungsik buried his face against the crook of Seungwoo’s neck, the cold tip of his nose brushing against the patch of exposed skin above his collar. It sent a tingle through the older’s nerves and he lowered his head, burying his nose in his boyfriend’s hair. The familiar scent hit him like tidal wave and washed away everything around them as he revelled in the warmth of Seungsik. He had missed the feeling of the other in his arms, of his voice as he whispered his name. 

It was hard to even think of letting him go again - not even to Japan, but out of his arms. For now, time seemed to have stopped for a while.

“Alright,” Professor Yoon announced a bit louder than necessary for the small room. “We’re done here, welcome to Hogwarts.” 

Seungwoo cursed inwardly, but also thanked his teacher for (unsubtly) telling him that he needed to get himself together and let go of Seungsik for a moment. With a light sigh, he loosened his grip around the smaller boy’s body as Seungsik did the same and stepped back, just as the delegation untangled and turned around. Time to face reality. 

A loud boom echoed from the hallway and something sounding suspiciously like the manic laugh of Peeves followed along with loud clatters. 

“Oh, for Merlin’s sake…” Professor Yoojung spat out and headed for the door, the other two adults hot on her heels. She turned around for a second, her hand already on the doorknob and looked pleadingly at Seungwoo. 

“Introduce yourself a bit while we deal with this, alright?” she asked and headed out before either Seungwoo nor Seungsik could reply. Professor Yoon and Nurse Sun followed, the former with an expectant, the latter with a grim expression. 

“Uhhm,” Seungwoo said intelligently and turned back to Seungsik. The younger was looking amused, eyes still set on the door. Seungwoo could have gotten lost in his features again if not for the large and slightly scared brown eyes in a pale face that was looking over his boyfriend’s shoulder. The student from Mahoutokoro - he realised he didn’t even know his name - had stepped up to Seungsik with a worried expression (probably startled from the sudden commotion) and his hand was once again curled into Seungsik’s black robes. 

Seungwoo wasn’t sure what to make of it. The boy looked anxious which was completely understandable, but a little jealous monster in his chest was hissing on and on about how the boy didn’t seem to let go of Seungsik. But before he could comment or say anything stupid, his boyfriend took over. The younger turned around a bit so the other boy wasn’t obstructed from Seungwoo’s view anymore, his hand coming to rest on the younger’s shoulder, hand sliding up to stroke his nape in a gesture of comfort and an encouraging smile playing on his lips. The younger boy sought his eyes, fear still obvious in them, but some of the tenseness seemed to bleed from his limbs at the gesture. 

“Don’t worry,” he said gently, “that’s probably just the poltergeist, Peeves, throwing something around again. It always sounds worse than it is.” 

Seungwoo realised with a slight start that for anyone who didn’t know Hogwarts, arriving in a rather dark room, getting checked on immediately and then being startled by something that sounded like an explosion must be a rather worrying combination, especially after a straining long distance floo transport. He tried to copy Seungsik’s encouraging smile as he studied the boy again. 

He was adorable, he had to admit. His eyes were large, and his features soft and cute. His hair wasn’t red, as Seungwoo had thought at first, but more of a dark brown with some red in it. It fell onto his forehead messily, sticking up from the sides and the back. Seungsik lifted his hand and smoothed it over the strands gently, the boy leaning a bit into his touch. Seungwoo felt the little monster in his chest growl a bit at the sight. There was a familiar fond expression Seungsik’s face as he took care of the boy. And Seungwoo? Seungwoo was jealous. 

It must have shown on his face a bit because the boy glanced at him and shrunk into himself. Seungsik turned around again, fixing the older in a short glance and snorted. 

“You can put that expression away, Woo,” he said amusedly. “Let me introduce you to each other.” 

Seungwoo was a bit startled at how easily Seungsik had read him, even though that should be old news to him. The new boy still seemed somewhat scared and insecure, while Seungsik’s amusement seemed to grow by the second. Seungwoo felt an involuntary blush rise. 

“This,” Seungsik started, “is Seungwoo. He’s a seventh year like me, our prefect and he usually doesn’t look quite this grumpy because he’s a massive softie.” 

The teasing lilt of Seungsik’s voice gained a new fondness. 

“He’s also my boyfriend that I told you about.” The boy nodded, mouth shaped into an 'oh' and surprise along with curiosity snuck onto his features. Seungwoo felt his own blush intensify. 

“And this,” Seungsik gestured at the younger boy, eyes now fixed on the prefect, “is Subin - who I believe I told you about.” 

Oh. 

_ Oh. _

It clicked at the name and Seungwoo was sure that he suddenly looked like a tomato. He sure felt like it. Seungsik had indeed written about the people he met, some boys he had befriended and a kid two years below him that he had more or less adopted. A shy boy he had gotten to know through the other boys there and who had seemed a bit cold and closed off in the beginning - only for Seungsik to discover that he was painfully shy. It had taken some coaxing but the boy had opened up to him and Seungsik had become something like an older brother for him (“A mum,” Dongpyo would say). 

So this was the boy. The shy, shy boy who had taken to clinging to Seungsik whenever he was insecure and who had just arrived at a strange new place with Seungwoo pretty much glaring at him. Said prefect was wishing for the floor to open up and swallow him. How had he managed to scare a sweet and innocent child like this? How could he? The boy was adorable, and if it wasn’t for the jealousy, (and the small fact that they did not know each other at all) he would have immediately cuddled and coddled him. 

“Oh dear,” Seungsik mumbled, “I know this face.” 

Reality returned and he mirrored Subin’s confused look at the younger Hufflepuff. 

“Seungwoo just decided to adopt you.” 

Slightly panicked eyes shot towards the older, who attempted a comforting smile - which might have turned a bit overenthusiastic, considering Seungsik’s snort and the increasing worry in Subin’s face. Being told the guy who just glared at you now wants to adopt you and who grins like a maniac was probably not what the poor boy was expecting. Seungwoo gathered all his braincells to at least attempt a proper greeting. 

“Hi,” he managed. “Welcome to Seungwarts, I am Hogwoo.”

Well done. Mission accomplished. Seungsik was almost down on his knees in laughter with just one hand on Seungwoo’s shoulder holding him up and Subin even smiled and giggled. Lovely. Five minutes and he not just managed to scare a kid, make an ass off himself and scare same kid again. He had also managed to completely make fool of himself. Just what he needed. Seungsik wheezed out another laugh and pulled himself upright again, throwing a teasing smile at his boyfriend. 

“Thank you for your lovely greeting,” he said sweetly and Seungwoo could feel himself melt a little, despite the obvious tease.

The door opened again and Professor Yoojung and Yoon returned, both with a smile. 

“All under control!” the small woman exclaimed. “Just Peeves who got his hands on a firecracker and decided to stuff it into an armour. Nothing major and the Bloody Baron is onto him.” 

She looked around with a grin, her hands on her hips and sleeves rolled up to her elbows. Professor Yoon was standing behind her with a lifted eyebrow and a mischievous grin. 

“And judging by the general air of amusement and Seungwoo’s red face, I assume you all got acquainted?” he asked. Seungsik nodded, righting himself again and Seungwoo followed suit with a slight cough. Subin politely turned towards the teachers, hands clasped at his front and fingers wringing nervously. 

Professor Yoojung looked at all three of them before she spoke, this time directed at Subin. 

“I’m sorry for the interruption.” She stepped closer and reached out a hand that the young wizard took. “Welcome to Hogwarts. I am the head of the house Hufflepuff, Choi Yoojung. Over there is Professor Yoon Jisung.”

She gestured at the teacher who stepped closer too and shook Subin’s hand with a friendly smile. 

“Nice to meet you,” he greeted. “I teach Care for Magical Creatures, while Yoojung here” -he gestured at the smaller woman- “teaches Defence against the Dark Arts. But more importantly, I will be your point of contact in Hogwarts. Something like a counselor, and someone you can always turn to. Seungsik probably told you about that system?” 

Subin nodded, and Seungsik followed suit while Seungwoo was somewhat left in the dark.

“For today my day is filled with lessons so I’ll have to send you off with these two gents,” the man continued, “but they will show you your guide in the student body, Kim Minkyu. You’re in the same year so he’ll take you to class with him, and he’s also in Hufflepuff.” 

Yoojung jumped in again. “My house will take care of you while you’re here, and if you decide on a year abroad, you’ll be sorted into a house. But for now, you’ll stay with Seungsik.” 

Relief was visible in the line of Subin’s shoulders at those words. Seungwoo could understand - it was scary to go to a completely foreign place on his own. Having at least something or someone familiar helped a great deal.

“Okay!” Yoojung clapped her hands. “We’ll send you off to breakfast while we wait for your stuff to arrive and finish the correspondence with Mahoutokoro. You boys head to breakfast and find Minkyu before you go to class too. I’ll find you later, okay?” 

All of them nodded and Professor Yoojung practically shooed them out in a flurry of robes and waving hands, Seungsik giggling and Subin’s eyes growing comically wide. The door closed behind them and they were alone in the hallways. Seungwoo took a deep breath and turned around. 

“You’re in luck,” he announced, “because I know that both mine and Minkyu’s first period is free. So we have time for breakfast and some introduction before we all head off.” 

And so, their day began. 

.oO°Oo.

Looking back at it now, both Seungwoo’s and Seungsik’s fear of Subin not integrating well seemed stupid. But considering how scared the boy had been of Seungwoo at first, it hadn’t been a completely unwarranted fear. But there had been on deciding factor they hadn’t considered: their friends’ relentless motivation to befriend anyone they brought along and their general ability to include people. 

Introducing a still shy and confused Subin to an equally shy but friendly Minkyu had probably been the hardest part - apart from Subin gradually warming up to Seungwoo. Seungsik had laughed about the older hovering behind the two fifth years and had told him he looked like Aristotle on the hunt for cuddles. That sentence alone had caused Subin to take a cautionary step back and Seungwoo to pout. But it seemed like Minkyu - blessed, sweet Minkyu - had worked his magic in Seungwoo’s favour and reassured Subin that the older was neither as creepy nor as intimidating as he had seemed at first. So when lunch had come around, Subin had actually attempted to speak to Seungwoo. 

And Seungwoo? He had melted on the spot, barely holding himself back from cooing at the younger boy, to the innumerable snorts and giggles of amusement from everyone around them. Thanks to Seungsik returning and Minkyu introducing Subin to other kids from their year, a wide assortment of grades and houses had gathered at the Hufflepuff table during lunch break. They had all agreed to meet in the Hufflepuff common room in the evening to properly spend time. 

And from there, the day had passed quickly. Classes went by faster than usual, but that might have been because of Seungwoo’s attention now being shifted onto Seungsik again. Their teachers had happily greeted the boy, asking how he was doing and welcoming him into their classes. He wasn’t with Seungwoo all day, deciding to head to some other lessons to see friends and teachers again too. But the time they spent was worth it for Seungwoo.

When lessons had finally been over in the afternoon, they had headed for the Common Room instead of the Great Hall. Minkyu’s - and by default Subin’s - last class of the day was Care for Magical Creatures and took an hour longer than theirs did and they decided to use the time. So when a shy knock sounded against the door of their dorm room and Subin peeked in after Seungsik had answered, the boy turned bright red and almost closed the door again. 

They had decided to forego the Common room in favour of the privacy of their dorm where they could talk by themselves. Subin had arrived to the sight of both of them on Seungwoo’s bed, backs against the headboard. Seungwoo had an arm around the younger’s shoulder, his hand playing with strands of his hair while Seungsik’s head was leaned against the older’s collar bone. His own hands were playing with Seungwoo’s free hand in his lap, and one of his legs was thrown over the older’s. 

Seungwoo had previously grabbed a blanket to throw over them, so they must have looked even more intertwined to Subin. But Seungsik softly called his name and the boy hesitated for a moment while Seungsik separated his and Seungwoo’s legs until he was upright again. He kept his grip on the older’s hand though and did not move away. 

“You’re not interrupting,” Seungwoo gently told the younger boy. “If you don’t feel uncomfortable, then come on in.” 

Subin bit his lip, but stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. 

“I don’t want to disturb you…” 

“Don’t be silly,” Seungsik interjected and pointed at the foot of the bed. “Sit down a bit and tell us about your day.” 

The boy looked startled for a second, then he giggled and came forward. Seungsik moved his foot to the side and the boy sat down, his shoes already kicked off at the door. He pulled up his knees until he sat cross legged, his hand busying themselves with a loose thread in the throw blanket. 

“You…” he started quietly, but trailed off. He took a breath and gathered his courage a bit. When he looked up next, a mischievous smile was playing around the corners of his mouth. 

“You really are like an old married couple, you know?” 

Silence ensued like a baited breath. Seungwoo was a bit startled - considering the swap from the shy boy that did barely speak in his presence to this - it was astonishing. Seungsik giggled next to him, and Seungwoo could see him smile brightly. 

“There he is,” he said softly, fondly. “Hey Subinnie. Found your courage again?” 

Understanding bloomed in Seungwoo as his eyes flew between the boy and his boyfriend. Subin seemed a lot more relaxed, his shoulder no longer drawn up and his face not as closed off. Instead, he was smiling, eyes soft and open, exuding a warm aura. It was so incredibly endearing that Seungwoo couldn’t help himself. 

He turned his head and buried his face in Seungsik’s hair, arm tightening around him and a soft whining sound leaving his throat. Seungsik chuckled, the vibrations going through Seungwoo and he lifted a hand to stroke over the older’s neck. 

“I know,” he said with a little laugh. “He’s cute, isn’t he?” 

Seungwoo turned his head, to be met with the curious but bashful gaze of Subin who was watching them closely. Seungwoo smiled and slid down on the headboard a bit, nuzzling his face into Seungsik’s neck instead. Subin chuckled and Seungsik followed suit, patting the older boy clinging to him. 

“You got him,” he said to Subin, “hook, line and sinker. He’s a sucker for cute things and has adopted half of the school population but you took the cake.” 

Subin laughed outright, and Seungwoo buried deeper in Seungsik, lips pressing against his neck in the process and Seungsik hummed, patting the side of the older’s face distractedly. Subin was studying them again curiously. 

“Hyung, I was wondering,” he asked, “how can you see anything?” 

His question was obviously directed at a now pouting Seungwoo, while Seungsik laughed out loud. 

“Obviously, he can’t see a thing,” his boyfriend replied for Seungwoo. “He tripped and fell like five times today alone. I’ll have to cut it these days.” 

The amusement was layered over thinly veiled affection. Seungwoo was still pouting but had extracted his head from the older’s neck to look at him. 

“Maybe I was just falling for you,” he stated stubbornly. 

Silence. Stunned silence, especially on Subin’s part. Even Seungsik looked befuddled at the cheesy one-liner and awkwardly cleared his throat after a moment, directing his gaze at Subin - but the younger could easily detect that the boy wasn’t uncomfortable at all. There was light flush on his cheeks which Seungwoo seemed to have noticed too, judging by the satisfied smile before he buried himself in Seungsik’s neck again. 

Seungsik breathed in deeply in an attempt to calm himself from the odd mixture of adoration and dread that had befallen him, turning his focus back on Subin. 

“How was your day?” he asked. 

From there, it had been comfortable between them. Subin had lost most of his awkwardness towards Seungwoo as he excitedly told them what had happened and shared all of his impressions. Seungwoo had extracted himself from Seungsik’s neck to attentively listen to the boy instead, just as focussed as Seungsik but slightly distracted by his boyfriend absentmindedly drawing circles on the back of his hand. Evening had found them in the common room, just with decidedly more people. Seungwoo had taken a metaphorical step back and had watched the mayhem unfold before his eyes as Seungsik caught up with everyone and Subin got to know them. 

The boy and Byungchan got on like a house on fire, it turned out. They were comfortable with each other within minutes, Byungchan easily dragging Yohan into the mess, who in turn brought Junho. Minkyu joined them - Seungwoo could barely hold a proud fatherly sigh at how the young prefect was opening up to people - and when Eunsang jumped in, chaos reached a peak. With Dongpyo, it seemed a friendly rivalry ensued over who was the favourite ‘child’. Funnily enough, both boys would vehemently deny ever discussing the matter or being something akin of children to Seungwoo and Seungsik. 

Wooseok had dropped onto the sofa when he had arrived and only taken one look at Seungwoo’s face before he snorted. 

“You look like you have ascended to a higher plane of existence at the sight of your husband and your firstborn,” he commented with a wry grin. Seungwoo glanced over at him and noticed how the other quickly looked from a point slightly on the left of Seungwoo to the room filled with chaotic children again after his eyes widened. Instead of a reply he decided to turn around casually and saw Jinhyuk staring across the room at the small Ravenclaw prefect, something akin to longing in his eyes. That explained it then. 

“I’m just glad he’s back,” he admitted and Wooseok smiled, eyes still fixed on the room. 

“I know,” he said fondly. “And I’m glad too.” 

Their comfortable silence had soon been interrupted by people pulling the Ravenclaw into the mess and Seungwoo decided to join them too. The evening had dragged out, but before curfew had come upon them, the prefects in the room had decided to do their duty and had sent everyone back to bed in their own respective towers. They had school the following day. 

And in similar fashion, the week had passed by quickly. Lessons and homework had occupied Seungwoo's and therefore Seungsik's days too, along meet-ups with friends, catching up in private and visits to the owlery. One afternoon they had taken the time to have a long walk over the school grounds, as they had done so many times before, their breath freezing in the air and both wrapped in thick coats to keep out the cold. 

Only one worrying incident had come up at all, which had been when Subin hadn’t returned to the Common Room and no one from Hufflepuff had seen him. It had taken another hour of waiting, worried glances and hurried steps through the castle to have the two older Hufflepuffs burst into the Gryffindor Common Room, let in by a long-suffering Kookheon, only to be greeted by Subin being involved in an intense round of exploding snap with Byungchan, and Jinhyuk and Yohan acting as their cheerleaders. A laughing Dongpyo had played commentator of the spectacle. 

The weekend had promised them two things: A Hogsmeade day on Saturday and the Yule Ball in the evening with a lazy Sunday following after. The train was leaving on Monday morning, the 22nd of December. The Yule Ball had remained as a tradition after the last round of the Triwizard Tournament had been held almost a decade ago. Deemed too dangerous, the games had been abolished, but the Yule ball remained - for all grades now. 

As every year, it had been the main topic of conversation all over the school for weeks by now - more exactly, since Professor Yoon had levitated the first decoration in the hallways while whistling an off-key version of ‘A cauldron full of hot strong love’. It had been both the cause of excitement and an impressive number of equally bad renditions of the song. 

So when the Duo from Mahoutokoro had arrived, the school had already been decorated in a festive fashion: girlands of fir branches wrapped around the banisters and hallway arches, glittering with baubles in the house colours. The armours were wearing bow ties and some even Christmas hats and started singing, the paintings had been scrubbed and were wearing glitter garlands while the Great Hall was snowing - even though the snow disappeared before it touched the tables.

The talk of the castle, for the past week, had been who was going with whom. 

Seungwoo had been grateful that Seungsik had already announced that he was Subin’s ‘date’ for the evening - he himself had agreed to go with Dongpyo before he had known that his boyfriend would be here for the Yule Ball. Dongpyo had been dropping hints that he had no date, so Seungwoo had graciously offered. And like the good date he was, he had picked up the boy at his tower and promptly cooed over how adorable he looked in the mint green robes with the white shirt - much to the amusement of the present Gryffindors and the embarrassment of the younger boy. 

The Great Hall had looked beautiful, with the usual twelve trees along the walls. Instead of the house tables, round tables for twelve people had been placed throughout the large room with only the teacher’s table remaining in its usual spot. 

Seungwoo’s breath, however, had been stolen when his eyes had found his boyfriend. Seungsik hadn’t been fully dressed when the older had left, only in his dress shirt and pants (and that combination was already enough to make Seungwoo weak). But with the sky blue robes with a light gray pattern reminiscent of curling branches and leaves he had on, he looked positively stunning. Subin next to him was dressed in burgundy robes and looking around curiously. Only his stance (a bit behind Seungsik, hand twitching as if he wanted to grab the older’s robes) hinted at his nervousness. 

He had walked closer towards the other, a fond smile on his lips already. Seungsik’s eyes had found his immediately, his shoulders relaxing a bit. They stopped close to each other, only a foot apart and eyes fixed on each other’s faces as if they were magnets being drawn in. Seungsik reached forward and grabbed Seungwoo’s wrist, deft fingers pushing up the sleeve of his robes to reveal open shirt cuffs. A grin appeared on his face: Seungwoo was never able to close his cuffs by himself. 

The older felt a gentle brush of warm skin against his wrist as Seungsik went to close the small buttons of the cuff, reaching for his other hand when he was done to repeat the process. Then he looked up, hands smoothing over the lapel of the older’s robe and straightening out a remaining crease. Adoration was shimmering in his eyes. 

“Do you find this as awkward to witness as I do?” a stage whisper came from beside them. Where silence seemed to have surrounded them before, the noise of the Great Hall returned in full force now - and with it the awareness that Subin and Dongpyo were still standing next to the couple. The younger Gryffindor had leaned over to Subin who was watching them with an expression combining amusement, adoration and a small portion of disturbance at their display. 

“This,” he stage whispered back, “was sickeningly sweet.” 

Seungwoo felt a light blush on his cheeks, probably mirroring Seungsik who was leaning forward with his forehead against the older’s chest. The prefect was still desperately searching for a proper reply when he was saved by the bell - though Choi Byungchan, may the Lord bless this skinny boy, hardly resembled a bell in anything besides the volume in sound. The lanky Gryffindor threw himself over the two younger boys and dragged them away, throwing a conspiratorial wink at the couple. 

But considering their chaotic friends, dinner had passed rather peacefully with everyone gathering at the tables. Seats were being swapped around as conversation partners changed and hardly anyone remained in the same seat for long. Little groups started to gather as desert disappeared and Seungwoo and Seungsik found themselves next to each other with everyone gathered elsewhere. 

The older sighed and scooted his chair closer to Seungsik, leaning back and stretching out his legs once he was settled, Seungsik mirrored his position as they gazed at their friends. 

“How did the chaos go this year?” the younger asked. Since they had befriended each other during fourth year, they had always gone together - and had always ended up gossiping over the annual chaos of everyone attempting to snatch a date. Some rather hilarious episodes had taken place over the years, and so the evening would always find them huddled up together at some point. Now, with Seungsik having been gone for the past months, it was only Seungwoo with his stories ready. 

“Where do I start?” he asked with a chuckle. Seungsik hummed, eyes flitting over the pairs. 

“Good question,” he replied. “I see quite a few unexpected combination, official and unofficial. You, Mr. Han, have a lot of explaining to do.” 

Seungwoo giggled and looked around too. Seungsik was right. There had been some unexpected developments. 

“Let’s start with the obvious ones then,” he suggested and received a nod from the younger. “Seungyoun and Hangyul.” 

“Extra?” Seungsik asked and Seungwoo nodded. 

“Extra,” he confirmed. “Youn slid down the banister in the Entrance Hall with a mistletoe tied around his neck. His original plan was to jump off, land in front of Hangyul and ask him out.” 

Seungsik snorted. 

“Instead he got stuck on the banister while Hangyul was already headed down the corridor, yelled for him to come back and babbled something along the line of Gyul standing under a mistletoe - which ended up with Gyul smooching Dohyon on the forehead, the boy screeching like a banshee and Seungyoun falling off the banister.” 

“So same old.” 

“Yup.” 

A short silence was broken by their laughter. A warmth was filling Seungwoo at the experience that even after being separated for a good amount of time, nothing between them had changed. It was an assurance Seungwoo hadn’t known he needed. 

“Alright, now what’s up with Yohan and Junho?” 

Seungwoo blinked and turned to the side. 

“What do you mean?” he asked flabbergasted. The two boys acted as they always did, at least to him. Or had he managed to miss something blatantly obvious? Seungsik sent him an unimpressed glance. 

“Don’t tell me they still haven’t gotten their mess together.” 

Oh. So that was what he was getting at. The words sounded harsh, but Seungwoo could hear an underlying worry in them. He shook his head. 

“Their still the same as before,” he replied. “Incredibly close, unbelievably sweet and blatantly obvious to pretty much everyone but themselves.” He sighed. “But Yohan had realised that there is more to Junho than just friendship for him,” he shared with Seungsik who looked up at the ceiling. 

“Thank god,” he breathed out. “Would you believe that Junho confided in me by the end of last year already?” 

Now it was Seungwoo’s turn to be surprised. He hadn’t been aware of that, and he knew it wasn’t his place to tell Yohan, but it was truly tempting. In a more quiet tone he filled Seungsik in on the whole situation with Sihoon and Yohan’s jealousy. The other nodded along attentively, eyes flying over the people in question. 

“I noticed how Sihoon was close to Junho,” he commented. “But with that in mind, it makes sense how Yohan is practically glued to him.” 

Seungwoo agreed. Yohan wasn’t physically clinging to Junho but he was constantly near the other. Seungwoo felt a strange sense of pride that the older of the two was having enough decency and common sense to not butt into Junho’s conversation or hound him, but if one knew it, they would be able to see how Yohan was staying close to his friend while still being occupied by various people. 

“Are they here together?” Seungsik asked. Seungwoo grinned at the memory of how that had transpired. Yohan had been so obviously nervous when he had asked in the most casual way. Seungwoo had been ready to hit his head on the table but he could also understand the younger boy. 

“He asked him during lunch," he said and gained a side-eye from Seungsik. 

“I thought you raised him better than that,” he said with a lopsided smile and Seungwoo snorted. 

“He was sitting at the Ravenclaw table with him - Wooseok had dragged me along for a talk on prefect stuff - and when the conversation went towards the Yule ball he turned to Junho and asked if they were going together.” 

Seungsik looked equal parts amused and done. “Yohan,” he concluded, “is the definition of panic when it comes to confrontations like these.” 

Seungwoo nodded. “He tried to be subtle, actually. He asked quietly, so it wasn’t putting pressure in front of others on Junho, and he knew Chacha didn’t have a date yet. So he tried to play it cool there, but his grin was absolutely adorable when Junho said yes.” 

Seungsik chuckled, his previously hard exterior melting away for a soft smile to take its place. 

“He really is adorable like this,” he said quietly. “Aaah, it’s just so frustrating with these two. They are perfect for each other, but they are also…” 

“Yes,” Seungwoo agreed. “It won’t be easy to get them there, but I hope for them that they will. They are so… natural together.” 

Seungsik nodded and reached over, grabbing Seungwoo’s hand from where he had been playing with his sleeve cuffs. He interlaced their fingers and leaned his head onto the older’s shoulder, a soft huff escaping his lips. 

“I want them to be happy,” he whispered. Seungwoo turned his head to press a gentle kiss to his crown. 

“I know,” he said. “But they have to do this by themselves.” 

Another huff told him that Seungsik agreed. 

“Talking about doing things by themselves,” the younger mentioned, “what is up with Jinhyuk. He’s been mooning all evening and if my eyes don’t deceive me it’s Wooseok.” 

Seungwoo laughed heartily. 

“Welcome to Hogwarts’ new power couple,” he announced boisterously. Seungsik shot up from his shoulder, eyes wide in amazement. 

“No way,” he gasped and Seungwoo shook his head with a grin. Seungsik lightly slapped his shoulder in response and laid his head back.

“But they might get there,” he said. “They’ve been getting closer since the beginning of the school year, and they are running into each other a lot. Wooseok has been sent into cardiac arrest more times than normal for his age.” 

Seungsik chuckled. 

“He’s panicking?” he asked. “Over Jinhyuk? Because of him, or because he can’t deal with his feelings.” 

“ To be honest, both,” Seungwoo replied. “You know Wooseok and emotions are a sticky matter.” 

He felt Seungsik nod against his shoulder. 

“And you know how intense Jinhyuk can be even if he’s not intending it. And to be honest, I think he really likes him.” 

Seungsik hummed, contemplative. Seungwoo stroked his thumb over their joined hands. 

“I’m not sure where they will end up,” he summarised, “but I’m sure if anything they have become friends by now. Which is surprising but nice.” 

Seungsik seemed to pause for a moment before he spoke. 

“Why is Wooseok avoiding him though?” 

Seungwoo chuckled again. 

“He’s being awkward,” he explained. “Understandably so, in his defense. Jinhyuk asked him out in the hallway, with flowers and everything and he panicked.” 

Seungsik winced - if unprepared and maybe even unwanted, that was a rather unpleasant experience. 

“He grabbed Jinhyuk and dragged him into an empty classroom to gently - at least I hope so - let him down and and explain that he had prefect duties and was with Sejin.” 

“Which is subtext for he’s not comfortable with the whole situation.” Seungsik finished and Seungwoo nodded. 

“I think Jinhyuk gets it,” he said. “He’s been a bit sad, disappointed, but he hasn’t complained or even tried to talk Wooseok into it again, but he apologised for putting pressure on him.” 

“That’s typical Jinhyuk,” Seungsik commented. “He’s considerate most of the time.” 

Seungwoo hummed in agreement and closed his eyes for a second, enjoying the proximity to his boyfriend while Seungsik scanned the crowd again, looking for the next couple he was interested in. He suddenly squeezed Seungwoo’s hand repeatedly, something akin to excitement taking over his body. The older opened his eyes with a small sound to signal that he was awake and attentive. Seungsik’s mouth was slightly open, eyes wide and focussed on something in the crowd.

“I just took a double take,” the younger eventually said with disbelief in his voice, “but is that Sejin flirting?” 

Seungwoo scanned the crowd and giggled at the sight that greeted him. A highly sceptical Wooseok was looking in between Sejin and Tony, exuding the uncomfortable air of a third wheel. Sejin was casually leaned onto the table with one arm, facing Tony. He was talking animatedly with a smile on his face, eyes fixed on the American exchange student who was bright red and fidgety. Surprisingly enough, he didn’t seem to want to run away from it all - that was more Wooseok. Tony just seemed terribly nervous and flustered by the gentle smile Sejin was directing at him. 

“Yup,” he answered the previous question and Seungsik shook his head, astonished. 

“Never thought I would see that,” Seungwoo stated. “Especially considering how they started off. But Tony’s sweet, so I’m not complaining.” 

Seungwoo had kept Seungsik updated on most things going on in Hogwarts, so he already knew about Tony tripping over his words during their first meeting. And while Seungwoo had encouraged Tony to approach Sejin, he was just as surprised over this development as Seungsik was. 

“Why is Minkyu looking so glum, though?” 

The worried question took a second to register in his brain before his eyes flew over the crowd again. Eventually, they focussed on the boy in a circle with other boys. Another look over the gathering and he had grasped the situation. 

“Minkyu asked out Hyeongjun and he agreed to going here,” he explained and Seungsik responded with an excited ‘oh’. It was a well known fact among them that the young prefect had a hopeless crush on his fellow Hufflepuff. Him asking Hyeongjun out was unexpected. And sadly not as promising as Seungsik was probably hoping for. 

“He asked him to go as friends, to keep any pressure off Hyeongjun.” 

“Oh.” 

“And you know how Hyeongjun and Wonjin are.” 

“Oh dear.” 

It sounded dejected. Seungwoo knew that Seungsik had nothing against Hyeongjun or Wonjin - in fact he knew the boy adored them. But it was sad to see someone as sweet-natured as Minkyu fall for someone as hopelessly oblivious to his feelings as Hyeongjun, because the boy was way too deep into his own crush on his best friend - which was, according to their observation, most likely reciprocated. Hyeongjun and Wonjin together were incredibly cute. But also hard to be around if you shared Minkyu’s fate, which was the case right now. 

All of them were gathered in the circle, including Hyeop who had come as friends with Wonjin, and Dongpyo and Dohyon along with them. Dongpyo was looking slightly worried as he side-eyed Minkyu, while Hyeongjun and Wonjin were giggling over something. It was cute, really. But sad if one knew how to read the prefect in their midst. 

“I feel sorry for him,” Seungsik whispered, “which makes it feel even worse.” 

Seungwoo hummed in agreement. He knew the two friends fit each other amazingly well, but he knew Minkyu. It was something he couldn’t really take a side on. 

“Where’s Minhee?” Seungsik asked suddenly, as if he had noticed one of his children was missing. “Shouldn’t he be with them?” 

Seungwoo nudged him. 

“Look over there,” he said amusedly. Seungsik followed his line of sight to find a rather astonished-looking Eunsang next to a lightly amused Junho. They were watching what looked like light-hearted banter between two previously unexpected participants - at least for Seungsik, who lifted his head. 

Jungmo and Minhee seemed deep in conversation, both with smiles on their faces and leaned towards each other with one hand placed on the table. The other two boys separated them, but both had scooted slightly backwards, as if they attempted to stay out of their line of fire. Both the Ravenclaw prefect and the Slytherin were smiling, and Seungwoo would have take it for just friendly behaviour if not for the light blush colouring Minhee’s fair complexion and the unfamiliar glint in Jungmo’s eyes. 

“So that’s what happens if you give Minhee a tutor,” Seungsik mused, a smirk painted onto his features. “This is amazing.”

Seungwoo turned to look down at the other’s face. There was so much fondness painted onto his features, so much happiness at seeing everyone again. He hadn’t completely realised how much he had missed seeing these expressions, feel their hands laced together, had missed just sitting like this and talking. How much he had missed Seungsik’s comforting presence. The thought of him leaving again after Christmas was over loomed over his head, but Seungwoo pushed it away. He wouldn’t think about it yet. 

Instead he pressed a soft kiss to the younger’s temple, lips lingering for a moment. Seungsik closed his eyes at the feeling, his smile widening. He tightened his grip on their joined hands for a moment before he turned around when Seungwoo pulled away. Their eyes caught for a moment and Seungwoo felt like he was losing himself in them, the outside losing all relevance as they just looked at each other. 

The clear ring of a spoon being hit against a glass brought them out of their revery just as the tables and chairs started to soundlessly glide from the centre of the hall towards the walls, opening up a large space. When the gentle sounds of a waltz started to ring through the hall from Professor Sejeong’s large gramophone in the corner, the first couples stepped onto the dance floor. Seungsik looked back at Seungwoo. 

“Shall we?” he asked and the older nodded. They both got up and headed towards the dancing couples, Seungwoo taking his hand and putting an arm around his waist, guiding the younger into the steps. They hadn’t missed the first waltz in any year they went together, going from giggly fumbling during fourth year to a slightly more coordinated version during fifth. Some rainy afternoons spend in the green houses had taught them how to dance properly and the steps came back easily. 

Seungsik felt content like this, wrapped in Seungwoo’s arms and close to him as they moved to the rhythm, his eyes leaving Seungwoo’s face to scan the room again. From the corner of his eye he noticed something odd, and turned his head to look at it during the next spin. Seungwoo noticed his puzzlement. 

“Everything alright?” he asked softly, voice barely audible over the music. Seungsik looked up at him, their faces bare millimetres from each other. 

“How did Yunseong’s date come to pass?” he asked, voice just as quiet. Seungwoo lifted an eyebrow but turned to look at what had Seungsik question several things. But Seungwoo seemed just as lost when his head shot back around, eyes comically wide. 

“I don’t have the slightest clue,” he said. 

.oO°Oo.

Yunseong was feeling awkward. Extremely awkward, to be quite honest. He had not expected to face this certain situation, and he was neither prepared nor equipped to deal with it. He was seldomly helpless, especially with his best friend around - but right now Donghyun was no help at all. On the contrary, the other boy seemed to be in the same state as Yunseong, awkwardly twitching in his seat. Lovely. 

Yunseong glanced to the girl at his side. They had managed to avoid conversation for most of the evening apart from some rather stilted small talk. After that they had fallen into a more or less silent state. Yunseong wasn’t blaming her - they just didn’t click that well. His interests had been almost completely different from hers and she wasn’t any more confident in their interaction. 

Well, it had been a try and they could both say that it wasn’t their best idea. 

He leaned back with a sigh and glanced over at Donghyun again. His friend was looking through the room, slumped forward in his chair, and his mind miles away judging from his slightly glossy eyes. Yunseong suppressed a small smile at the sight. He was familiar with that look: Donghyun was either planning their next prank or he was deep into the theory for some modified spell again. 

And he was successfully ignoring his date - just like his friend, as Yunseong was just now reminded by his own date gently tapping on his shoulder. He turned around and came face to face with Minju. She was turned slightly towards him in her chair, her black hair cascading in glossy waves over her shoulders and her light pink robes enhancing her light complexion. She looked extremely pretty, Yunseong had to admit. 

He had agreed to a bet with Donghyun before Christmas: after attending the Yule Ball as friends four years in a row, they had both agreed to get dates, daring each other to each ask a certain person. Two hours of time for contemplation (a lesson they hadn’t shared that day) had brought them back together in Transfiguration and a whispered conversation had settled on their plan and the agreement that in case one of them failed, he was to ask out Moaning Myrtle. Jinhyuk attempting that feat prior had ended up with the ghost bursting through the ceiling when the dance started and latching onto the Gryffindor. Jinhyuk had describes the feeling as being doused in ice water, and she hadn’t let go of him for the entire evening. The boy had taken quite a while to get warm again, but he had been the picture book of politeness with Myrtle who had been delighted. 

Yunseong had been challenged to ask out the most beautiful girl by popular in opinion from their year: his house mate Kim Minju. The girl seemed unapproachable to most at first, usually carrying a blank expression and not talking much. Some even thought she was conceited. 

But through some gentle prodding during a chat with Yujin, Yunseong had found out that Minju was not cold. She was just shy and tended to space out. So whenever she seemed bored, her mind had probably wandered somewhere else. Yujin had taken one look at Yunseong after their conversation and raised a slightly threatening eyebrow. 

“If you ask her out,” she had said lowly, “then be nice. Seriously. Or I’ll be on to you and you’ll regret it.” 

Yunseong had promised to do so immediately, slightly scared (Yujin was fun but also intense) but also sincere in his words. He had no intention of being impolite nor was he going to ridicule Minju or show her off as if she was some price. He would politely ask her, and accept it if she rejected him or try and make the best out of it if she agreed. 

To everyone’s surprise, Minju had ended up agreeing. Yunseong had approached her in the library when he had seen her study on her own, and decided to ask her there and then. Fewer people were around which would save both of the from the potential awkwardness of a public rejection. Plus, if she was as shy as Yujin had said Yunseong doubted that she would appreciate a grand attempt on his side. 

He had been right. When he had pulled out the chair opposite from her, her eyes had flown up, wide and surprised. Yunseong had sent a smile and sat down, leaning forward on the table but keeping a polite distance. 

“Hey,” he had greeted. Minju had whispered a greeting back, eyes flitting away from him. Yunseong had almost winced: either he was scaring her or she felt uncomfortable around him. Personally, he hoped it it was neither and it was just surprise at his appearance. 

“I was wondering,” he started slowly and kept his voice low, “if you had someone to go to the Yule Ball with already.” 

Minju studied him for a second before she shook her head no. One hurdle less. 

“And I wanted to ask,” he continued, “if you wanted to go together?” 

While he spoke he pushed his hand into his pocket and pulled out a glass orb - or half of one, to be more exact. Instead of a ball, a smooth surface created a flat side. Inside, the bloom of a christmas rose was placed under the glass, enchanted to not wilt until winter was over. Yunseong had snuck the flower from the green house and sealed it under the glass with Jinhyuk’s help. He placed the glass orb onto the table and pushed it towards Minju. 

Her eyes widened but she stayed silent as she looked at the perfect white bloom encased in the glass. The little token was only a few centimetres in diameter, but it refracted the light of the sun that was falling through the window and painted a rainbow over the parchment of Minju’s notes. Yunseong studied her expression. 

She looked startled. Insecure. Surprised. And she stayed silent. He suppressed a sigh and pushed his chair back quietly after a minute, getting on his feet again. Her eyes flew up at him again. He smiled.

“It’s fine if you don’t want to agree,” he stated in a gentle tone. “I am aware we don’t really know each other. So it’s okay if you don’t want to go with me.” 

He kept looking at her for another moment, while Minju’s eyes were flitting from him to the flower and to the window before he turned around to leave again. A quiet voice stopped him. 

“I’d actually…” Her voice was barely above a whisper. “I’d actually like to go. With you.” 

He turned around again, surprised and looked at her. A tiny smile was playing around her mouth. 

“Alright,” he stuttered out. “Great. Yeah. I…” 

His brain had blanked. Minju had smiled a bit more brightly. 

“I’ll see you in the common room?” she said and Yunseong nodded, thankful for the way out. He had waved at her and turned around, heading towards the Hufflepuff common room to fill Donghyun in on his success. 

Which led him back to his current situation with Minju tapping his shoulder again. He shook his head a bit to clear his mind and smiled. She seemed amused by it but pulled back her hand. She seemed to reconsider for another moment before she spoke, quietly enough to only be audible to him. 

“Would you feel offended if I joined my friends and left you to fend for yourself?” 

Relief flooded through him. Both of them had obviously been bored - Minju shy in front of Yunseong, and Yunseong unsure on what to talk about to her. So this was probably for the best. He nodded quickly, smiling back. 

“Please, don’t let me keep you here. I’m not offended or anything,” he replied easily and Minkyu chuckled lightly. 

“Don’t misunderstand,” she whispered. “It was lovely of you to ask me, and I was honestly excited to go but…” 

Yunseong put a gentle hand onto her shoulder and squeezed. 

“I don’t think we’re compatible to be honest,” he said. “Which is in no way meant as an offense against each of our characters but…” 

Minju giggled lightly. 

“No, it’s fine. So thank you, you really were sweet.” Her hand went up to touch the glass orb holding the christmas rose that she had pinned on her robes. It refracted the light in a colourful circle around it. It looked beautiful on her, really. If anything, Yunseong was glad that he had at least succeeded in not making an ass of himself, and that she seemed more relaxed in his presence. 

“Have a nice evening then,” he said with an air of finality as Minju got to her feet. She looked at him one more time. 

“You too.” 

He watched as she walked over to were some of her friends were, a light spring in her step. Eunbi turned around to her as Minju came closer and held out a hand with a smile at the younger girl who grabbed it and stepped into the circle before she let go of the hand again. It was cute really, especially considering how Kookheon’s arm was around Eunbi’s waist while the headgirl welcomed her friend. Those two really were an enviable couple.

Yunseong leaned forward in his chair, elbows perched on his knees and hands clasped between them. His eyes slowly moved over the Great Hall, the dancing couples on the floor (just in time to see Seungyoun stumble over his own feet and fall into a lunge step, Hangyul taking a hurried step back at the sight) and huffed a sigh. 

An answering huff sounded from the chair next to him as a person let themselves fall onto it with the sound of clothes being ruffled.

“Well that was awkward,” the person said and Yunseong laughed out loud at that. 

“Mood,” he replied and glanced to the floor on his right to see a pair dark blue heels being kicked off and the person next to him tucking their feet underneath them. He looked up and grinned at the girl that had taken the chair, the same expression meeting his. 

“Hey,” he greeted Yena. She was wearing rippling midnight blue robes over a black pleated skirt and a translucent white blouse with a white top underneath. It went well with her fair skin, and her slightly reddish hair that she had pinned up in a messy bun with some strands falling from it. She grinned easily at Yunseong. 

“Hey yourself,” she replied and shifted a bit to get more comfortable. Yunseong looked around in search of Donghyun but he couldn’t see the other anywhere. 

“I take it your date went as well as mine?” he asked with a lopsided smile and Yena snorted. 

“Don’t take it personally with Minju,” she said in a reassuring tone, lightly patting his shoulder. “She’s awkward around new people and you get used to her being quiet. But from what I saw she wasn’t uncomfortable per se around you, which is already a feat in itself.” 

Yunseong nodded. While he had been more or less aware of that fact, hearing it from someone who was actually friends with the girl took something like a weight off his chest. He studied Yena again as the Hufflepuff scanned the hall, eyes lingering here and there. 

“I’m surprised you joined me here in my corner of loneliness,” he attempted to joke and Yena fixed him in a stare, one of her eyebrows raised. 

“Well,” she replied, “it’s pretty fitting since I was lonely too. Shared suffering and all that jazz.” 

Yunseong felt real surprise well up in him. He had been wondering where Donghyun had ended up, but he had figured that the other would return shortly and Yena had just joined him for the time being. But her words implied differently. 

“Do I need to have a word with him?” he asked warily. He doubted Donghyun had been impolite or rude, but still - his best friend and Yena always got along well. To become aware of the other apparently not staying with his date for the evening was unexpected. 

He had dared Donghyun back then to ask out Yena - not because she seemed inapproachable, but she might not make it easy for Donghyun in a joking kind of way. Both of them were Hufflepuffs, and both of them tended to have a playful, bantering way with each other. Not quite friends, but close enough to have the occasional exchange of verbal blows. 

And just as he had expected, Donghyun had turned to their usual way of interaction to ask Yena out. They had been sitting in the common room together, when the girl had entered, walking past their sofa in conversation with one of her friends (Yuri, if Yunseong remembered correctly, a girl from Gryffindor he did not know too well). Donghyun had watched her for a second before he grabbed a chocolate frog from the snacks they were sharing and threw it like a projectile towards Yena. 

Yuri, who’s head was turned towards them, had flinched and Yena had shot around, grabbing the frog with the impossible reflexes she had honed as Hufflepuff’s seeker. Her eyes had narrowed in on Donghyun, one eyebrow raised. The boy had grinned at her. 

“Go to the Ball with me?” he had asked with a cheeky grin and Yena had snorted. 

“Try not to embarrass me with your sorry ass.” had been her reply before she turned around and pulled Yuri with her. A small smile had played around her mouth. Yunseong had been thoroughly confused and glanced at his friend who was grinning like a cat that got the cream. 

“What was that?” he asked the Hufflepuff. Donghyun leaned back and put his hands behind his head before he glanced at Yunseong. 

“That,” he said, “was a ‘yes’.” 

And true to his word, Donghyun had turned up with Yena. And from what Yunseong had noticed, they had been talking quite a bit. So what happened? Had they argued?

His face must have conveyed his thoughts, Yena chuckled a bit.

“Don’t think too hard,” she teased. “You’ll pull something.” 

She studied him again, face a bit more serious and her tone was more calm when she spoke next. 

“Donghyun did nothing wrong, if you’re thinking about that.” She sighed and leaned back, eyes fixed on her hands. “It just… it was awkward in a way. We couldn’t talk like we usually did, the whole event put a damper on how we normally act.”

She looked up at Yunseong. 

“It wasn’t like I was expecting anything like romantic or stuff, hell I agreed because we’re something like friends,” she said agitatedly. “But he seemed unsure about that, he was somewhat stilted. Like he wasn’t sure how to act. And I didn’t know how to react to that. So we agreed that this wasn’t the best idea and then Tony came and asked if he could talk to him for a second.”

“And so you ended up separately and here we are,” Yunseong concluded and Yena nodded. 

“Exactly.” 

Silence ensued again, slightly awkward. Yunseong racked his brain trying to figure out what to say until he settled on something neutral. 

“To be honest, I can’t tell you why he acted like this either,” he said quietly. The girl looked at him in contemplation, something unreadable in her eyes. 

“You can’t tell me because you don’t know - or because you don’t want to tell me?” she asked. Her voice was harder but without any real hostility. Yunseong reciprocated her gaze, expression open and voice honest. 

“I don’t know.” He was being truthful. “I actually thought you two would get along well, he didn’t say anything beforehand either. I have not a single clue why he could have been acting like he did.” 

Yena seemed to accept his declaration after a moment and sighed. 

“I’m surprised you don’t know,” she said, voice becoming more relaxed again and she leaned back into her chair. Yunseong mirrored her position and leaned back too, turning his chair more towards her. 

“Why?” he asked. She raised an amused eyebrow, the corner of her mouth turning upwards. 

“It’s hard to not think of you as a single unit,” she stated. “You are hardly ever seen apart from each other, you work together most of the time, and _ you _ ,” -she tapped her finger against Yunseong’s forehead - _ “ _are practically a fixture in our common room by now.” 

Yunseong chuckled lightly and averted his eyes for a moment. It was true though, he mused. 

“I don’t know if you noticed,” Yena continued with a light giggle, “but you even finish each other’s sentences.” 

Now this was something he hadn’t noticed that much himself and he grinned, turning his head back towards the Hufflepuff girl. 

“That’s what sharing a braincell does to you,” he said lightly and watched how she laughed out loud. Her eyes crinkled at the corners and her mouth pulled into a bright smile. It was endearing. 

“Hear hear,” she said, giggles still leaving her mouth and Yunseong couldn’t help but laugh too. 

“How come you share that one braincell though?” she asked, curiosity painted onto her face. Yunseong smiled fondly. 

“We’ve been friends since forever,” he explained. “Our families have been close since before we were born and we practically grew up together.” 

He bellowed out a laugh. 

“Hell, we even lived together for a while. He’s the person I know best in my life.” He looked up at the girl who was listening with a smile. “He’s also the one who knows and understands me the best.” 

“You’re like family then?” Yena asked and Yunseong thought about it for a moment. 

“In a way,” he replied. “We have many connections. And we function extremely well together.” 

“It sometimes looks like you have too many connections to even function without the other,” Yena mused good-naturedly. Yunseong winked. 

“One braincell, remember?” 

She laughed again, easily this time. She stretched out her legs from underneath her, flexing her toes in the air with a groan. Yunseong observed her. 

“Do your feet hurt?” he asked and eyed her shoes warily. The heels looked somewhat dangerous to him, but he’d probably fall over just standing in them. Contrary to his expectation, Yena shook her head. 

“My leg just went numb from sitting on it,” she explained. “To be honest, I can’t sit anymore. I’ve been sitting around for the entire evening.” 

Yunseong studied her for another moment before he made a decision. 

“I got an idea,” he claimed and earned himself another raised eyebrow. 

“And that means?” she asked amusedly. Yunseong grinned. 

“Well, for one it means I have the braincell right now,” he said proudly and made Yena snort. “But how about we wait for your leg to wake back up again?” 

“And then?” 

“I can’t sit anymore either,” he elaborated, “so how about we each get a butterbeer and then head out for a little walk?” 

He hesitated for a second. 

“Don’t feel obligated,” he added, “but I really could use some fresh air, and I was enjoying our talk, so maybe we could continue that…?” 

He trailed off, unsure how he had come off. Yena was still watching him, a smile curling around her lips again. She placed her feet on the ground and leaned forward to grab her shoes. 

“I’d like that, actually.” Yunseong couldn’t quite see her face but she sounded a tad shy. There was a light blush on her face when she came up again. But she smiled brightly at him. 

Yunseong stood up and held out his hand to her. 

“Shall we go then?” he asked and she reached out to take his hand. Her hand was extremely small in his, he noticed. But it felt nice and warm. He turned around and started for the door, when Yena pulled on his hand lightly. Stopping again, he turned back around. 

There was a light flush on her face as she looked down at her feet for a moment before her gaze returned to meet his, mirth on her features. 

“One more thing,” she started and Yunseong nodded to show he was listening. “When we get back…” 

She trailed off and Yunseong tilted his head expectantly, unsure what she was going to say. Was she already telling him to just go back to before? Or that she had something to do? But what would she be doing on the evening of a ball. 

“When we get back,” Yena started again, “you owe me a dance. For walking with you in these shoes.” 

The grin on her lips, impish and genuine, took the harshness from her words. Yunseong easily returned the grin and stepped closer to her, looking down. Her eyes didn’t leave his and she allowed the proximity. 

“Alright,” he said. “You got yourself a deal. But it’s open ended. No time limit.”

She raised herself on her tiptoes, voice becoming more quiet. 

“Who said I want a time limit though?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, there went Part I - what do you expect for Part II ? Any surprises you encountered here? 
> 
> On another note, we would like to take this opportunity and thank all of you who are reading this - those who were there from Chapter One, as well as any of you who just came here. Thank you so much! We never thought that anyone would read and actually like this and all of your Comments and Kudos have been so incredibly sweet and kind! We will try our best to keep it entertaining and exciting for you in future Chapters, so hang in there. 
> 
> It was actually a surprise that we even had something Christmas-themed because one of us is a massive Grinch, but well... it just fits so well, and here we go, but I guess some of you might have noticed that the spirit of Christmas or something wasn't the focus? But in any case, we would like to wish all of you happy and enjoyable holidays, may it be Christmas, Hanukkah or any other opportunity - or none at all! Enjoy your time and thank all of you so much!!
> 
> If you want to, please talk to us in the comments and on Twitter ([@chaos_kisses](https://twitter.com/chaos_kisses?s=09)) !


	21. Christmas Special - Part II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Christmas is not finished yet! At least here it isn't. We have some more things prepared, so enjoy.

Wonjin breathed in the colder air as he stepped into the entrance hall. He had desperately needed to cool down a bit and get the punch out of his system. Or had it been eggnog? He wasn’t sure anymore, he just knew that the glass of the Christmas-themed drink Seungyoun had handed him with a saccharine smile had not been as non-alcoholic as it was supposed to be. But Wonjin had just taken the cup and practically thrown it back to calm his frazzled nerves a bit.

The reason for the same confounding general condition he had been experiencing had been standing opposite of him, clad in a long dark red robe with a white shirt and black dress pants. The generally formal ensemble had lost some of its seriousness due to the cute smile and curly brown hair the wearer was sporting. It was something that had looked incredibly good on Hyeongjun but Wonjin hadn’t been sure how to deal with the confusing mess of cuteness and a sudden handsomeness mixed into it. 

But he was used to dealing with the younger after all. He was his best friend and Wonjin had learned how to just go through his life with that much adorableness beside him, that apart from his crush was also his sweet and dorky best friend. He could do this. So if he was being completely honest, the reason for his frazzlement was less the presence of the younger but more the tall handsome figure beside him. 

Wonjin was still cursing his luck for not finding the courage to just ask Hyeongjun out to the Yule Ball. He had been hesitating on doing so, both in fear of rejection and acceptance. If Hyeongjun had rejected him, it would have been awkward. Maybe not immediately or as much as if he confessed but still: the younger would feel sorry and Wonjin would try to be as normal as possible and fail spectacularly. Like that one time they had had a small argument about something stupid. It had only lasted three days, but the fallout had been extremely awkward. Only an intervention staged by a pissed off Hyeop and a slightly confused but supportive Seungwoo had brought things back to normal. 

Now on the other hand if Hyeongjun had agreed, Wonjin was sure that his nervousness from potentially asking would only be a fraction from actually taking the younger to the Yule Ball. Even the knowledge to treat this as a friendly outing wouldn’t have made it easier, because to him it had meant that much more. And so he had pushed it off, worrying and questioning until it was too late. 

Until Minkyu had asked Hyeongjun. 

Minkyu of all people. Minkyu, who had just too much fondness in his eyes when he looked at Hyeongjun. Minkyu, who left his shy and quiet shell a bit when he was with the other. Minkyu, who Wonjin knew could bring Hyeongjun to the brink of tears with laughter. Minkyu, who was just so soft-spoken and kind and understanding and everything Wonjin wanted for Hyeongjun to be happy. Minkyu, who fit him just a bit too well. 

He was jealous. And very much so. The originally small green monster had grown into a full-sized ogre, and had about the same patience with him as Shrek had with the donkey. Though the voice sounded suspiciously like Seungyoun when it was lecturing him again on taking action. 

But he never did. And then he had ended up in the Great Hall, in a circle with his friends and Hyeongjun and Minkyu opposite of him. The small yellow flower arrangement, barely the size of his palm, that Minkyu had given Hyeongjun upon picking him up in the common room was pinned to the chest pocket of the younger’s robes, the tiny black-eyed susan’s contrasting with the dark red fabric. 

It looked stunning, really, especially with Minkyu’s dark grey robes with white shirt and dark red flower embroidery beside him. It was coincidence, but they matched. Another arrow to Wonjin’s heart. And no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t suppress the jealousy that reared its head whenever the two got to close, when Hyeongjun smiled at the older boy or Minkyu was speaking to him - soft, gently and attentive. It would have been incredibly sweet if Wonjin hadn’t felt that much annoyance at every single gesture.

It wasn’t a nice feeling either. He knew that he had no right to be angry at Minkyu - the prefect hadn’t done anything wrong. Nor had he any right to just interfere with anything that was developing between them. But he still felt the need to pull Hyeongjun close, to just grab his hand and wrap his arms around the younger. To know he could make him feel as happy as he looked with Minkyu and to not feel all the jealousy that had been festering in his heart for a longer time than he liked. 

But he hadn’t. And he knew he wouldn’t. Neither did he have to the courage to do so right here, nor would Hyeongjun appreciate the sentiment. The younger was sharing freely on what was on his mind but if it involved others, he could be very private. He wouldn’t want to be put on the spot either. 

So the glass of punch-eggnog-whatnot Seungyoun had handed him with that startling smile that looked a lot like the Cheshire cat had been more or less god-sent. Less worries, he had thought on the first sip. Maybe less inhibitions. But most of all, he was past the point of caring. His focus was elsewhere. 

What he had severely underestimated was the effect of the alcohol on his system. He had felt flushed within a short time, and way warmer than he had been comfortable with. And a startlingly different heat had started to build up whenever he had looked at his friend and saw Minkyu look at him with that fondness again, saw him touch his arm when they talked, saw Hyeongjun giggle. And this heat felt startlingly like anger. And that emotion he neither wanted to feel nor display. 

So he had excused himself (fumbling and probably stuttering), had assured Hyeop that he was fine and just wanted some fresh air and left the Great Hall. Looking back at it, it was almost laughable he thought looking back at it now. This jealousy, this childish behaviour. He had probably acted really dramatic. The cool air of the hallway he was wandering now after leaving the Entrance Hall and climbing up the staircase was doing wonders for his sobriety. 

He tried to sort his thoughts out: he had to tell Hyeongjun at some point. This much had become clear to him. He knew what the risk was. But he knew he had to do it before Minkyu did, as to avoid making the younger feel guilty or anything. Hyeongjun was just like that. But he had to get it off his chest, if only to show his cards and leave it there. No ulterior motive, no second floors. 

He sat down in the window sill in the corridor, ignoring the cold seeping through his robes from the icy stones and leaning his head against the glass. He needed a plan how to go about it first, though.

Being a cat made everything easier. Hyeongjun had to admit that. The mind of an animal, while just as intelligent, worked different - more compartmentalised, more structured and less focussed on too many things at once. Which was exactly what he had needed right now. 

There had been too many people, too many sensations and too many thoughts in the Great Hall and he could have dealt with all of these separately, but the combination was overkill. There had been too much happening, and while he tried to hear what others said, he had tried to figure out the ever changing landscape of Wonjin’s expressions and how he had to interpret the whole situation. 

His best friend’s face had gone through a variety of emotions as he had watched him, had watched the Slytherin’s eyes flutter over him with something inexplicably fond, only to change to something harder directly after. It was so confusing how emotions he had never seen on Wonjin’s face before seemed to catch in his eyes for only fractions of a moment before they were replaced by something else. 

Minkyu’s warm and calming presence had helped a bit, like a protective wall shielding him a bit from the mayhem of the hall and directing his attention away from his spiraling thoughts. He was grateful that the other had asked him out, especially after he had poured his heart out to the other and told him about his crush on Wonjin. 

Minkyu had become his confidante regarding his feelings towards his best friend, and the older had been nothing but sweet and supportive in his reaction and listened patiently to Hyeongjun telling him everything that was weighing down his heart. So when he had told him that he wasn’t sure if Wonjin would ask him to go to the ball with him and that he himself was scared to ask, Minkyu had fixed him in a contemplative expression before he had averted his eyes. 

“You could always go with me.” 

His voice had been barely above a whisper. 

“As friends, I mean.” 

Hyeongjun had felt happy at that. Because Minkyu was just this sweet of a person and willing to help him out. He felt warmth grow inside him as he put his head against the older’s shoulder. 

“You’re a great friend, you know?” he had told him and Minkyu had hummed shyly. 

And he truly was glad to be here with the older and be calmed by his gentle attitude. But as he had talked to Wonjin and the others too and started to notice Wonjin’s features cloud over, he had gotten confused. And when after a while he noticed Minkyu’s slightly furrowed brow too, he didn’t know what to think anymore. Was there something he was missing? Had he done something wrong?

Wonjin leaving had only added to it, and the helpless shrug Hyeop had sent him had cleared up nothing at all. So he had been grateful when Minkyu had whispered in his ear.

“You look a bit pale. Do you need some air?” Hyeongjun had decided to take this opportunity and clear up his thoughts. So he had nodded at the older and gestured towards the doors. 

“I’m gonna head outside for a moment but I’ll be back.” 

Minkyu had put a gentle hand on his arm, worry creasing his forehead. 

“I can come with you if you’re not feeling well.” 

But Hyeongjun had convinced him to stay - he didn’t have to spoil it for the older. So he had left the hall, stepped into a quiet secret passageway and turned into his cat form before he left to roam through the hallways a bit. He avoided the more crowded ways and took smaller corridors and hidden passages. Silence had surrounded him, and his sensitive ears had only picked up the rustling of something small in the cracks of the walls and behind the wainscoting. His eyes had easily adapted to the twilight he was in, and if the smell of werewolf hadn’t been amiss, he could almost believe it was just a normal night of Dohoyn’s transformations. 

But the impression had been shattered when he had rounded the corner of the corridor and saw a familiar figure perched onto the window sill, cross legged and their head leaned backwards against the cool glass surface. Wonjin’s black hair was framing his face in soft curls, a few strands falling into his eyes and casting thin shadowy lines onto his features. He would have looked relaxed if not for the slightly troubled expression, his pinched eyebrows and tightly shut eyes. There was a light frown around his mouth. 

So Hyeongjun - still as a cat - did the only reasonable thing: he approached the boy and jumped into his lap, meowing quietly to get his attention. He had done this so many times in his animagus form and Wonjin wasn’t even shocked from the small fluffy creature that suddenly invaded his space and curled up with its head on his thigh. 

Instead, he just opened his eyes and smiled. 

“Hey,” he said and reached out to run his fingers through Hyeongjun’s soft fur. The younger couldn’t even stop the purr rising up in his chest at the feeling. Wonjin’s smile widened at the sound and some of the tension left his expression. 

“I haven’t seen you in bit,” he commented off-handedly and Hyeongjun couldn’t help agreeing. With Christmas coming up, Seungsik returning and Subin visiting plus everyone preparing for holidays and Yule Ball, he hadn’t had much time away from prying eyes to transform and run around in cat form without anyone noticing his absence. So, he had only seen his friend in human form. 

“You probably had a more pleasant evening than me,” the older continued, eyes looking somewhere into the distance. Hyeongjun turned his head up but he couldn’t reply. He knew something was off but he hadn’t been able to pinpoint it. 

“I almost exploded with jealousy earlier,” Wonjin explained, a pained chuckle leaving his mouth. “Minkyu would be a lovely fit for Hyeongjun and he takes care of him so well.” 

Hyeongjun’s heart leapt in his chest and he barely stopped himself from shifting around too much. What was Wonjin talking about? The older tended to talk about him a lot, he was talking to the cat as he would to a human. For a while, Hyeongjun had even suspected that the older had figured out it was him. But then had taken to talk about him, and it had become clear that even though he objectively had all the facts he needed to figure it out, he didn’t. Wonjin was dumb like that sometimes. 

“I was scared to ask him to go with me,” the Slytherin mumbled embarrassedly, “but that’s just stupid. He is my best friend, I shouldn’t be scared - no, I don’t need to be scared to ask him something like that.” 

Hyeongjun mentally face-palmed. At least that realisation had graced the older this evening. But he should look at himself instead - he had been scared to ask the older as well. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. 

“Minkyu beat me to it, anyway.” 

What was his obsession with Minkyu here? Wonjin had mentioned the older before but never like he did today. And the jealousy he had been talking about before. Had Hyeongjun misunderstood completely? Had Wonjin not meant to ask him, Hyeongjun, out but had meant Minkyu? Is that why he was jealous? Because he felt that his friend and Minkyu would fit well together and he feared he’d interfere - what he was thinking were Hyeongjun’s intentions? Where was this heading?

“But I realised something,” The older sounded determined. 

“I need to tell him. I can’t leave Hyeongjun in the dark about it.” 

So he had been right? 

“He is my best friend, before everything else. And I can’t wait for him to commit to something before I tell him and make him feel guilty.” 

Wonjin chuckled again and leaned his head against the window as he spoke. His hand came to a stop in Hyeongjun’s fur. Everything seemed to still for a moment as absolute silence overtook them.

“You know,” he said breathily, “I don’t even know how to tell him. Where do I start?” 

The fingers picked up their movement again and Wonjin looked down onto Hyeongjun. 

“I never had to tell anyone about it before,” he stated. “They all figured it out at some point. They just asked for affirmation. But I never had to say it.” 

He looked down to the side. Hyeongjun’s ears twitched a bit and he lifted his head off Wonjin’s thigh. 

“They always knew, I was in love with him.” 

Breathless. He felt breathless, at these words and all the implications it brought with it. Breathless at the insecurity of who the older was talking about. 

Wonjin turned his head back and Hyeongjun sat up in his lap, tilting his head. The older brushed his hand over the soft fur on his chest and scratched his neck. 

“I’ve been in love with Hyeongjun for the longest time,” he said wistfully. 

The breathlessness stayed, but the loud beating of his own heart filled Hyeongjun’s ears. Everything made sense suddenly. But no thought stayed clearly in his head, everything pushed away by two emotions: happiness and the deepest affection Hyeongjun had ever felt. His heart threatened to beat out of his chest as he looked up unmoving. 

Wonjin was still looking at him, surprise in his eyes. He had voiced his emotions for the first time. And he had done so - unknowingly - to the subject of his affection. And Hyeongjun knew that now he wouldn’t be able to hide that knowledge. Not with how his heart felt like it was overflowing from knowing that what he felt was not in vain. It was not a hopeless endeavour. But one of them had to take the first step. 

It was a split second decision. 

A split second, the time it took for Wonjin to blink - and find himself with a human in his lap instead of a cat. A human with curly hair, large expressive eyes and hands grabbing his face. Determination and a sense of excitement, if not adventure, filled Hyeongjun - and he had to act fast before Wonjin panicked at the realisation of unintentionally confessing to him. 

So he reached out and cupped Wonjin’s cheeks while he struggled to keep himself upright in the other’s lap. The Slytherin had flinched violently at the sudden transformation and a human was also considerably more weight than a cat. On instinct, his hands flew to Hyeongjun’s waist to stabilise him. 

“You idiot,” Hyeongjun whispered, “you should have told me. Or I should have told you.” 

Wonjin’s eyes widened when his brain finally caught up with the situation and he realised who he had in his lap. His body tensed, but his grip on Hyeongjun’s waist tightened. The younger smiled at him, a smile he couldn’t suppress at the emotions raging inside him. 

“I should have told you, I feel the same about you,” he whispered. Wonjin’s mouth opened but no words came out. The older seemed to be completely thunderstruck by the sudden revelation. His mouth opened and closed several times before he finally found his words again. 

“Say what?” It sounded so utterly confused that Hyeongjun was taken aback. Wonjin’s eyes were flying over the younger’s face, flitting back and forth quickly. 

“What just happened?” This time his voice was more quiet. The Hufflepuff understood: his friend was still trying to figure out what all of this meant, his mind trying to to piece together the last few minutes and come to a conclusion. But Hyeongjun’s patience would not be long enough to wait for Wonjin to catch up. 

“Me too,” he said breathlessly, bringing Wonjin’s attention back to the reality at hand. “Me too. I…” 

He took a deep breath. Emotions were flowing through him, excited and warm, like the rays of the sun on a summer day and running until your breath runs out. Happy and comforting like shared memories. They brought a smile to his lips, slowly but surely, starting at his lips and crinkling the corners of his eyes as it took over his whole expression. 

“I’ve been in love with you too.” The words rushed out of his mouth. “For way too long to be reasonable, but I just never… I never knew how to tell you.”

Hyeongjun’s heart was beating like crazy. To say it out loud, even though he knew his feelings were reciprocated, was scary and exhilarating and so much more than he had expected it to be. There were so many emotions running wild inside him, but all his senses were honed in on Wonjin that moment. He didn’t know if there was anything happening behind him, but even if someone would break through the wall - he likely wouldn’t notice. His mind was preoccupied with the warmth of the older’s face against his palms, and how his breath was coming out in small puffs. How his eyes reflected the faint light from the torch in the corridor and the silver of the decoration under the ceiling. 

The way they were fixed on Hyeongjun, with hope shimmering in them since the younger had voiced his confession. But also the way confusion was swirling through them, reoccuring and strong. 

“I.. You…,” Wonjin tried, but his mouth wasn’t complying. He seemed out of it. “But...the cat?” 

Okay. Patience was needed here, and Hyeongjun should probably start explaining the most obvious thing to his friend. 

“I am the cat,” he started and the older’s eyes widened. “I’m an animagus, I started turning shortly before third year started.” 

“But how?” Wonjin was only whispering, but at least his mind appeared to be somewhat back on track. Hyeongjun shifted uncomfortably and looked through the glass behind Wonjin for a second before he focussed back. The sight he was met with was truly endearing and even though he had seen it for the past minutes he only realised now. 

His palms were still cupping Wonjin’s face, and his cheeks were slightly pressed together - which had the Slytherin involuntarily pout. Combined with the confused expression, it was so utterly adorable Hyeongjun almost cooed. But instead he smiled and let go of the older’s face, his hands trailing down to rest on his shoulders and shifted so he was sitting more comfortably. 

When he had transformed, Wonjin’s crossed legs had slipped off the window sill in surprise so Hyeongjun was straddling his thighs, but he had been raised onto his knees from reaching up. Now, he sat down onto the older’s legs, who was in turn still holding on to his waist, the warmth from his hands seeping through the fabric into his skin and grounding Hyeongjun. 

“It’s something genetic,” he explained. “Some in my family have it, some don’t. And it can’t be predicted when the transformations start. It’s more or less a family secret - not outright so, but we try not to bring it up too much.” 

Wonjin nodded, understanding in his eyes. 

“That’s also why I didn’t tell you,” Hyeongjun continued. “Apart from the fact that I didn’t know how to bring it up, I was scared I guess?” 

“Scared of what?” the Slytherin asked and the younger lowered his head, eyes cast down. 

“How you’d react. I know it’s stupid but still. It seems so weird.” 

Instead of a reply, Wonjin moved his hands from his waist to circle around the smaller boy’s back and pull him in a bit. Hyeongjun let himself be pulled into a gentle hug, his forehead coming to rest on Wonjin’s shoulder. 

“I wasn’t sure how to deal with it myself,” he whispered. “Especially in the beginning. Being a cat is different to being a human.” 

He felt more than hear the older hum. 

“Did you deal with it on your own?” Worry was coating Wonjin’s words and Hyeongjun almost keened. His reaction was reassuring: no matter what had happened, his friend was still so caring. He wasn’t holding it against Hyeongjun that he hadn’t told him. 

“No,” he replied. “Professor Kim helped me - she had the same syndrome, actually.” 

“So she’s the only one that knows?” It was worded neutrally but with a certain amount of curiosity. The Hufflepuff raised his head with a small smile. 

“One other person knows,” he revealed. “Apart from you and her - but I can’t say who. They have their reasons so it’s not my place to tattle.” 

Wonjin’s lips drew into a short pout but he nodded. The younger decided to give him some time to mull it over, and go through everything again. He busied himself with watching the slight changes in Wonjin’s expression, and he could see the exact moment the older realised something.

“Oh gosh,” he breathed out, “the things I told you.” His head fell forward onto Hyeongjun’s shoulder, but the younger could see the blush creeping up his neck. He giggled lightly and ran a hand over Wonjin’s soft hair. 

“It was cute,” he confessed. “But I was never sure how I had to understand everything you were saying.” 

He turned his head and nuzzled into the black locks, eyes closed.

“Until earlier I wasn’t sure how you were feeling. And only because I knew that….” 

He drew in a breath. 

“Only because I knew that I was able to say anything. It wasn’t planned or anything. Neither the confession nor,” he gulped, “nor me following you around as a cat. I just wanted to be close to you because I feel safe with you.” 

Wonjin chuckled lightly. 

“Both of us are hopeless cowards then,” he commented lightheartedly. Hyeongjun nodded. 

He could stay like this, he thought. He felt so very safe, close to Wonjin and with the weight of his feelings off his heart. He felt lighter and happy. And he loved it. Wonjin pulled back a bit so he was facing Hyeongjun again. 

“One question though,” he started and Hyeongjun tilted his head. “Where you jumping on Minhee on purpose?” 

The Hufflepuff chuckled at the memory. The grumpy Slytherin had experienced several rough awakenings in the morning over the past year, in one way or the other. Hyeongjun shook his head innocently. 

“I actually forgot you swapped beds several times,” he declared sweetly. “But occasionally I might have remembered.” 

A wicked smile took over his features and Wonjin laughed, happy and bright. His eyes closed into crescents and his lips pulled into a wide smile, head turned slightly downwards. Hyeongjun giggled a bit, amused by the memory but his main focus was on Wonjin. The older looked up again, smile still clear on his features. 

The expression remained, but fondness took over as the main emotion as he looked at the younger, who easily returned the smile. It was almost unbelievable that this had really just happened. Unbelievable for Hyeongjun that his feelings, these emotions he had felt for such a long time, had been reciprocated. That all of this had been so easy, after this first initial step. He was almost in disbelief - it seemed to good to be true. But Wonjin was there, right in front of him, with his arms around him and their eyes locked - and he could see that the other wouldn’t run away from him. He would stay here and this was real.

His arms wrapped around the older’s neck instead of hands resting on shoulders and he felt Wonjin pull him in again, closer and tighter than last time. Hyeongjun let himself fall forward into the embrace, arms tightly around the other and his face buried in Wonjin’s shoulder. He could feel the older nuzzle into his hair, his hands rubbing gently over his back. 

He felt safe. And he felt happy. They had come this far. They would figure out the rest. 

.oO°Oo.

It felt like a punch to the heart. 

It felt way more physical than it should do, considering nothing of what he was hearing was exactly new information for him. He had known he didn’t have a realistic chance, but he had still let himself dream just a tiny bit. But now the coldness of the stone wall against his back was resembling the ice that seemed to have taken hold of his heart. 

“Only because I knew that I was able to say anything. It wasn’t planned or anything. Neither the confession nor,” - a pause, some words he couldn’t understand. “I just wanted to be close to you because I feel safe with you.” 

It was like another arrow to his heart, solidifying everything he had heart and making the coldness spread. He leaned his head back against the wall, eyes shut tightly, almost painfully so. His hands were balled into fists against his sides, with the nails digging into his palms. 

“Both of us are hopeless cowards then.”

He needed to get away. He didn’t want to hear this, he couldn’t listen to this without feeling like his heart was shattering into pieces. He hadn’t even come here intentionally, he wasn’t supposed to hear this. But fate had played a cruel game with him. 

He pushed himself off the wall, as silently as he possibly could and hurried down the corridor. When he reached the corner, he didn’t care about the sound of his footsteps anymore. They echoed through the hallway as his steps got quicker and he broke into a run, sight blurred. Was he crying? 

His hand came up to touch his cheek, but it was dry. His steps didn’t slow as he hurried down a flight of stairs, rounding another corner into a corridor. More students were passing him, some greeting, some turning their heads. But he didn’t stop, he didn’t even care. 

He just needed to get away. Away from everyone, everything. He turned another corner and stumbled slightly, his shoulder catching against the wall. He stretched out a hand to steady himself, leaning heavily against it, his breath coming in pained huffs. He closed his eyes again, his sight still blurred. It didn’t matter if there was darkness around him - he couldn’t see anything anyway. 

A hand touched his arm, and he jerked away from it. He was fine. He needed to be. Needed to get a grip. 

“Minkyu?” 

Dongpyo’s voice sounded small but gentle and calming. It was like the eye of the storm inside him. But he couldn’t answer, his breath was still fast and his eyes closed. The bustle of the entrance hall reached his ears where silence had been before. He shook his head when the silence was starting to return, like someone pressing cotton onto his ears - everything muffled.

The hand grabbed his arm again and this time he didn’t jerk away. The grip was tighter and Dongpyo pulled on his arm a bit, pulling Minkyu away from the wall and down the corridor. A second hand replaced the one on his arm and he felt the younger wrap his arm around him, guiding him down the hallway in hurried steps. 

Minkyu let himself be led, upstairs and into more quiet pathways until they reached the familiar spindly staircase that Dongpyo pushed him up. No words were exchanged between them and even though Minkyu’s breathing had calmed down again, there was still a heaviness in his chest, like a tightly drawn knot. 

When he stepped into the room and sat down on the pillows with the younger still at his side, his vision finally cleared. 

“What happened?” Dongpyo sounded worried, increasingly so. And Minkyu couldn’t blame him - he was feeling ashamed at his own reaction. But the ice in his chest had remained, as well as the ever-tightening knot. He sighed deeply and felt Dongpyo’s hand on his arm again. The Hufflepuff turned his head towards the younger, attempting a smile. 

“I’ll have to figure out how to move on.” 

Dongpyo looked a bit lost for a moment until realisation seemed to set in. His mouth opened slightly, but Minkyu’s vision blurred again - just that this time he could feel hot tears starting to roll down his cheeks. He raised a hand to wipe them away, but they just kept falling no matter how often he dragged his sleeves over his eyes. 

“I’m sorry,” he breathed out, and his breath hitched into a suppressed sob, voice quivering. “I’m sorry I worried you. And I’m sorry I’m burdening you like this.” 

The hand on his arm vanished and reappeared on his shoulder again, arms wrapping around him and a small warm body pressing against his side. 

“You’re not burdening me,” the small boy whispered calmingly. “I’m your friend. I’m here for you!” 

Minkyu shook his head. 

“Still, I shouldn’t be ruining your evening.” 

Dongpyo just hugged him harder. 

“You are not,” he declared stubbornly. “I decided to look for you, so this is my choice. And you look like you shouldn’t be left alone anyways.” 

Minkyu breathed in shakily. The tears were still falling, but in a less rapid succession. He stared at the floor underneath his legs, body slightly leaned into his friend. He had to get himself together. He couldn’t overreact like this, that wasn’t good. It wouldn’t end up well if he let himself go like this. 

“Are you going to tell me what happened?” Dongpyo asked. “If I’m here, you could at least tell me what has made you like this, so I know what’s going on and whose ass I have to kick.” 

Despite his words, Minkyu could feel the worry radiate off the younger boy that he tried to carefully hide behind his boisterous words. And he was right, he deserved to know what was going on. He already knew Minkyu well enough afterall. 

So he breathed in deeply and righted himself, Dongpyo’s arms slipping from around him. He crossed his legs in front of him, eyes fixed on the floor. A rustling to the side told him that the younger was getting comfortable. A pair of legs appeared closer beside his, cross legged too and small hands reached out to grab a blanket to pull over both their laps. 

“I went after Hyeongjun when he stayed away for longer than expected,” he started and saw Dongpyo nod from the corner of his eye. The younger had probably seen them, more attentive and observant than most would expect at first. But there wasn’t too much the boy missed. 

“I was worried he wasn’t feeling well,” he explained, “he was really pale. So I went up a few floors to look through the more quiet corridors.” 

Dongpyo hummed. 

“He gets overwhelmed with people or situations sometimes,” the Gryffindor added. “He had to leave lessons a few times because it got too much. Just once or twice but still.” 

Minkyu nodded. The younger had once told him about that too, tone a bit scared as if he had been fearful of being judged. Minkyu had just put an arm around him to pull him closer, and the boy had returned the hug. He had been glad that he had been somewhat calming for the younger. 

“When I was looking through the corridors, I found them.” he continued on, voice turning into a whisper again. 

“Hyeongjun and Wonjin?” Dongpyo asked and the prefect nodded. The memory flashed through his mind again, how he had rounded the corner and had stepped back immediately, breath catching in shock - no, not shock. Surprise. He had carefully glanced around again, to make sure his eyes weren’t playing tricks on him. 

But the image of Hyeongjun in Wonjin’s lap, perched onto the window will, had been real. He had only seen it for a few seconds, but his mind had saved the details. The way Hyeongjun had cupped Wonjin’s cheeks, eyes determined and cheek flushed. Wonjin’s hands on his waist, eyes glassy and surprised. 

Minkyu hadn’t heard most of their conversation, only muffled words reaching his ears and he had desperately tried not to listen as he calmed his breathing, leaned back against the wall. He had only heard the last part, like an affirmation of what he had already known. 

“They confessed,” he summarised, unsure on how he should explain all of this. “They didn’t notice me but I ran into them.” 

“It was mutual?” Dongpyo asked, more rhetorically than serious and Minkyu nodded. Their affections for each other had been more of an open secret among their friends than anything else, with Hyeongjun seemingly the only one in the dark. Minkyu had known that if one of them confessed, the other would reciprocate the feelings. But his heart had not cooperated with what his mind had known. He had gotten too close. 

His vision started to blur again. Funny, he thought to himself with a detached sense of fascination, how he hadn’t noticed when the tears stopped, but only when they started again. 

“I knew this would happen.” 

His voice sounded brittle. 

“I knew it and still. I couldn’t let it go.” Dongpyo’s hand found his, uncurling the fist his hand had formed again and lacing their fingers together. 

“It makes me so angry at myself,” he confessed to the younger. “Makes me feel so stupid for running into it, seeing eye and all.” 

He squeezed his eyes shut again. 

“I wish I could change it,” he whispered, “but everything I could do would only make it worse.” 

Dongpyo’s grip loosened at his words and he let go, moving around again. Minkyu kept his eyes closed until soft small hands cupped his cheeks and raised his face again. He opened his eyes. 

Dongpyo was crouching in front of him, his expression worried, but calm otherwise. His thumb was stroking over the other’s cheekbone in a soothing manner as his eyes studied his face. Dongpyo looked slightly greyish, but everything did, as if Minkyu was looking through a veil. 

“Be honest with me,” the younger boy said. “There’s something else, isn’t there?”

.oO°Oo.

If there was one question to be asked about this evening, then it wasn’t if it was a good idea to spike the punch at a school dance. That question probably answered itself. The real question in Jungmo’s humble opinion was more along the lines of: Should anyone be allowed to give Kim Wooseok alcohol?

Objectively speaking, the boy was still doing his duty as headboy and prefect with a diligence that Jungmo was almost too tired to muster up. The older boy was dragging him around with an iron grip on his sleeve and was sending students to bed left and right. Which was what he was supposed to do: Curfew had started and the students were supposed to head to their common rooms. So he wasn’t doing anything wrong. 

What was equal parts amusing and terrifying was the fact that Wooseok had a perpetuous frown set on his face and was walking with a lot of determination but less balance than usual. Apparently, the older wasn’t holding his alcohol very well. 

Speaking about alcohol, Jungmo was impressed by what someone (Seungyoun and Hangyul, but officially he had no idea) had managed to achieve: somehow they had snuck in fire whiskey and mixed it into the punch bowl. The drink itself, however, had been enchanted to change colours and glitter beautifully beforehand - and one of the ingredients or the magic in itself had reacted with the firewhiskey to enhance the effectiveness, especially the duration. 

Jungmo made a mental note to ask Yunseong about it later - his housemate probably knew what exactly had brought about the reaction. But he hadn’t seen the other since about two or three hours ago, when he had left the Great Hall with Yena. Funnily enough he noted that this was probably the first time the infamous GoldenChemi duo had been at any school event without playing a prank on someone. Unless they had been involved in the punch disaster. 

Wooseok suddenly stopping in front of him had Jungmo stumble into the older and he desperately flailed to try and keep himself upright while the headboy stared at the person in front of him, his frown deepening. Or the people to be more exact, but his glare was fixed on only one of them. 

“You,” he addressed the small group, jerking his head towards the door, “and you,” he stepped closer, “I still have a bone to pick with you.” 

Jungmo pressed his lips together in a suppressed smile at Wooseok’s rapidly darkening expression. The boy could have a terrifying glare, but he appeared unable to summon that expression when under influence. He looked up at the equally amused and slightly scared group including Byungchan, Donghyun and Yuvin along with Hyunbin as he jerked his head towards the door again with a slightly raised eyebrow and a smile. 

They understood what he was getting at and started inching towards the side and out of Wooseok’s field of vision while the one remaining person was still fixed in the glare of the headboy. Jinhyuk had a slightly nervous smile on his face and his hands lifted beside his head as if he was handing himself over to a higher force. Or the force of nature called Kim Wooseok. 

“I can wait for you to finish up here….?” he said anxiously, unsure on how to handle the situation. Jungmo’s eyes flitted between those two and the rest that was now quickly heading for the door. He doubted they’d all head for their own common room immediately, but as long as he caught no one on his patrol later, it would be fine by him. He sent them a slightly wistful glance before his attention was brought back to the ‘situation’ at hand. 

“No, no, no, you’re coming with me,” Wooseok said determinedly and made a grab for Jinhyuk’s wrist while simultaneously letting go of Jungmo who quickly took a step out of his reach. He glanced at the bewildered Gryffindor who was now in the clutches of one Kim Wooseok who stepped close to him and looked up with squinted eyes and his glasses perched onto the tip of his nose. 

Jungmo suppressed another snort. It would have looked cute if not for the utter confusion of the lanky Gryffindor and the light flush and tight expression of the small Ravenclaw. But to his utter astonishment, Jinhyuk’s expression softened slightly and he lifted a hand towards Wooseok’s face. For a moment, Jungmo thought he would caress his cheek, but instead Jinhyuk pushed up the smaller boy’s glasses with two fingers, slow and gentle. 

Huh. This was unexpected. But he didn’t even get the opportunity to be properly surprised over this event alone because Wooseok started to turn bright red at a worrying speed and lowered his head quickly, leaning slightly forward. Jinhyuk’s hand was still hovering in the air, lightly brushing against auburn locks of hair as Wooseok leaned forward just an inch. 

“Stop doing that,” he mumbled, but tilted his head so it was touching Jinhyuk’s hand. The older’s expression melted into something fonder and his hand cupped the side of the smaller boy’s head for a moment. Jungmo took a careful step back. An interesting development, really, but nothing he should be watching like this. He took some more steps and turned around, eyes studying the Great Hall. 

Only small gaggles of students and some singular stragglers remained. Most seemed to have gone to their common rooms for the night. Jungmo heaved a sigh. Less work for him, but still some left to do. He had seen the occasional prefect, but most of them were probably looking out for their housemates to get home safe or had just plainly forgotten about their duty. Jungmo couldn’t blame them. He would have forgotten if Wooseok hadn’t popped out of thin air to grab his wrist and drag him into it. 

“Hyung!” a voice said behind him and he turned around again. A grinning Hyeop was closing in, his dark green robe flowing around him fittingly. Jungmo smiled and put on jokingly strict expression. 

“Shouldn’t you be in bed, young man?” he asked and the other boy giggled. 

“I actually gathered most from my house so we’ll head off in a second and be out of your hair,” he replied with a cheeky wink, “but there someone asking for you.” 

Jungmo raised an eyebrow and followed the younger Slytherin when he turned around and headed off towards one of the tables. A small group of Slytherins had gathered there, including a grumpy Dohyon sporting a long-suffering expression with Seungyoun’s arms thrown over his shoulder from behind. The seventh year was swaying from side to side slightly, as if he was rocking the younger boy to sleep. 

Despite Dohyon’s disgruntled expression, he was doing nothing to shake the older off of him and was instead leaning slightly back into his touch. Hyeop skipped forward towards them while Jungmo followed at a slower speed. His eyes wandered away from Seungyoun and Dohyon to land on Hangyul who was sitting next to them at the table, looking at something in his lap that was obstructed from the Ravenclaw’s view and with Eunsang at his side.

As he got closer and came to a stop beside the table, he could see what had caused the startlingly soft expression on Hangyul’s face: A tall lanky boy with hair so light it was almost white, splayed over his lap with his limbs askew and his eyes closed. Hangyul was running his hand through the silvery strands. Eunsang beside him perked up when he noticed the approaching prefect. 

“Mogu hyung!” he called and waved excitedly. Jungmo had to smile at the excited greeting, but got surprised when the other boy suddenly shot up from Hangyul’s lap, almost decking the older Slytherin in the face. 

“Hyung!” he called with a bright smile, and Jungmo chuckled in surprise while Eunsang reached out to steady his friend in his seat. The boy seemed happy but somewhat sleepy, less energetic than when Jungmo had (involuntarily) left him. Junho, who had been at their table earlier too was gone now but Jungmo could easily imagine where he would find him. He stepped closer to the table and Hangyul looked at him. 

“He was waiting for you,” he stated with the hint of a smirk on his lips. “We sent Hyeop off because he wouldn’t shut up on it.” 

His smirk widened and Jungmo felt heat creep up his neck. Minhee smiled obliviously, a dopey expression on his face and leaning into Hangyul’s side again, but his eyes were fixed on Jungmo. The Ravenclaw felt the heat reach his face as his eyes locked with the younger’s and he shyly returned the smile. Eunsang giggled lightly and Jungmo looked at him. 

“He really is cute like this,” he cooed and Dohyon snorted and looked at the Ravenclaw. 

“You have Seungyoun to thank for this,” he stated amusedly. “He asked Minhee to hold his punch goblet for a moment and Minhee wasn’t listening and just downed the whole thing.” 

Jungmo’s eyes widened and he looked at the older Slytherin who was shifting uncomfortably behind Dohyon who he was still clinging to. The prefect fixed him in a questioning look and the older boy hid his face in the younger’s shoulder for a second before he looked back up again. 

“It wasn’t intentional,” he whined. “I just needed to have my hands free for a moment!” He pouted slightly. “Please don’t kill me?” he said in a fake-cute voice and Jungmo snorted at the sight but shook his head. 

“What were you thinking?” he asked incredulously. “The idea of spiking the punch was generally stupid and Wooseok is out for blood right now, but this? Seriously?” 

Seungyoun tried to hide himself more behind the younger boy and make himself as small as possible. But Jungmo stepped closer, a frown now etched onto his features. Dohyon’s eyebrows shot up worriedly and Seungyoun - despite being older - became even smaller at the sight. Jungmo felt anger. No, not anger but worry for the blonde boy at the table. Suddenly he could relate to Wooseok’s barely suppressed frustration. 

A hand closed around his softly, warm and slightly damp. He looked down and saw Minhee stretched over Hangyul’s lap again, but this time to reach out for Jungmo. He was still smiling and his eyes were large and adoring. 

“Hyung,” he drawled, “I missed you.” 

Jungmo felt his anger slowly immediately dissipate, his attention now focussed on the younger boy in a mixture of worry and affection. Minhee’s voice sounded just a tad whiney and his second hand came forward to grab Jungmo’s hand too, only for him to lose his balance and almost slide off Hangyul’s lap if it hadn’t been for the boy to grab the younger around the waist. 

Minhee pulled on Jungmo’s arm to have him step closer and the older immediately complied, eyes now flitting over the younger's splayed out figure and pleased expression at his attentiveness, eyes large and glittering in the light. The Ravenclaw sighed. 

“You really are a handful, you know?” he said quietly, but not even he himself could deny the light affection in his tone. From the corner of his eyes he could see Hangyul pull a face in suppressed mirth, while Eunsang outright giggled with his eyes wide and lips pressed tightly together. 

“Well,” Seungyoun announced innocently, “now that you two have found each other again, the rest of us should head to bed. It’s late after all.” 

Jungmo turned around with a stern expression. 

“Do not go all responsible on me now, hyung,” he said threateningly. “But I agree,” - his expression softened again - “all of you should head to bed. Especially you, Minhee.” 

But apparently he had said the wrong thing considering the sudden uproar he was facing now. Well, uproar in the case of Minhee, and unhindered laughter at the reaction of the rest of them. Minhee had announced a loud ‘No’ in reply and pulled on Jungmo’s hand with a large pout. The sudden tug had Jungmo stumble forward, barely bracing himself on the table and Hangyul’s chair, and hanging over the two Slytherins on the chair - Minhee still pouting in Hangyul’s lap, and the latter with his hands raised in both shock and defence, expression startled.

“No, you just came back!” Minhee kept protesting. “If we have to go to bed, then I’ll, then I’ll…” 

His punch-muddled mind was struggling to form a coherent answer, but his eyes lit up when he finally found one, eyes glinting determinedly. 

“Then I’ll take you to bed with me.” 

A red flush shot up Jungmo’s cheeks as Hangyul snorted at the younger’s words. Seungyoun’s high-pitched hyena squeal reached his ears while Eunsang looked somewhere between scandalised and impressed. Then his fellow Ravenclaw looked up at the befuddled prefect. 

“You’re going fast,”Eunsang commented light-heartedly. “Quite a risque move, hyung.” But that was it for Hangyul. The sixth year started laughing loudly, his torso tilting sideways until he was laying on the adjacent chair, tears flowing from his eyes. Jungmo felt his blush intensify and he lowered his gaze, eyes wide and mortified. But he had forgotten that he was leaning over Minhee. 

His eyes locked with the younger’s who was still looking up at him with a cute determination only someone drunk could muster up. His eyebrows were knit together, and his lips perched in a frown but his eyes were sparkling and full of something akin to hope and pleading. Jungmo froze on the spot, entranced for a moment while his eyes roamed over Minhee’s features. The younger really was adorable, a contrasting feature considering his tall build and usually nonchalant expression. 

The hand around his wrist still hadn’t left it’s original position and he could feel a thumb stroke over the soft skin there, somewhat irregular but comforting. He sighed internally. If he wanted to get anything done this evening it seemed he didn’t really have a choice.

“Then you’re staying here with me while I tidy up and then I’ll take you back to your common room, okay?” he asked, voice laced in defeat but also thinly veiled affection. Minhee nodded happily, face immediately changing into a mask of happiness, while Jungmo decidedly ignored the whisper of ‘whipped’ behind his back. 

Instead of a reply he righted himself, grabbing Minhee’s wrist in the process and gently pulling the younger into a sitting position and almost cooed at the dopey smile the boy was sporting. Then he looked around, decidedly stern in a (probably failed) attempt to retain at least some composure. Seungyoun mimed a salute beside Dohyon who was standing still like a statue with his eyes wide. 

“You lot should head to bed then,” he declared in a calm voice. “I’ll drop him off later.” 

His last words were directed at a deceivingly innocent Hyeop who hadn’t uttered a word the entire time but was now grinning impishly at his words. His eyes were flitting between his housemate and the prefect and Jungmo raised an eyebrow in question. 

“Alrighty then,” he replied, “have fun with Minnie then.” 

And with that the boy threw a look at the other boys and practically skipped off with Seungyoun in tow, Dohyon following slower behind them and smiling awkwardly at Jungmo. The Ravenclaw sighed inwardly - the boy must feel somewhat traumatised by now, considering how often he had witnessed things his more affection-averse personality had a harder time dealing with. 

When Jungmo looked back at the others, Hangyul had just risen to his feet, his hand resting on Minhee’s shoulder for a moment. 

“Behave,” he told the boy sternly and looked up at Jungmo. “And you too.” 

Jungmo just sighed while Minhee giggled, as did Eunsang. The Ravenclaw had stepped up to the prefect with a grin, towering over Hangyul from the back. 

“I’ll see you later, hyung,” he stated cheekily. “I still got something to do.” 

Hangyul looked over his shoulder with a raised eyebrow at those words, but Jungmo just smiled tiredly, interlacing his fingers with Minhee’s when the younger started to become fidgety. His thumb rubbed calming circles on his wrist and he felt the boy lean his head against his hip from where he was still seated beside him. 

“Just don’t get caught, okay?” he replied. “And try not to stay too late.” 

Eunsang nodded and then took off towards the door, leaving a stupified Hangyul in his wake. The older Slytherin looked thoroughly puzzled before he looked back at Jungmo. 

“Should I be worried?” he asked with a frown. “Or go with him?” 

Jungmo felt touched at his concern but shook his head no. 

“It’s something personal but nothing dangerous or something. More along the likes of bending some rules.” 

Hangyul smirked at him. 

“And you’re okay with that?” he asked. The prefect nodded. 

“Let’s just say,” he replied while placing his free hand onto Minhee’s head and threading his fingers through the soft strands, “that I understand why he’s going against the rules, and while I shouldn’t officially allow it, I feel calmer knowing he’s not sneaking out of bed at the ass crack of dawn and losing sleep to keep it secret from everyone.” 

Hangyul nodded, still somewhat confused but accepting of his reasoning. His eyes fixed on the doors Eunsang had vanished through earlier for a second before they returned to Jungmo, softening at the sight of Minhee leaning into the older. Jungmo looked down too, barely able to fight back the soft smile at the sight. 

“He’s always clingy when he’s tired,” Hangyul commented. “I guess the punch is just adding to it.” 

He chuckled deeply at the puppy dog eyes Minhee threw him. 

“And he’s a general mess,” he added. “But don’t worry. Just bring him home at some point, or make sure he’s at least sober enough to go.” 

Jungmo nodded. 

“I’ll take him back later,“ he promised. “The password was Felix Felicis, correct?” 

Hangyul nodded and patted his shoulder, taking a step towards the door. 

“If you’re not sure where to take him just come to my room,” he said kindly. “Good night.” 

Before Jungmo could reply, the other took off hurrying after the rest. Jungmo’s eyes stayed fixed on Hangyul until he had vanished through the doors. He knew his classmate seemed cold sometimes, but he was actually very caring, especially with the younger children. He just knew when they needed someone, and he knew the kids liked to go to him for comfort, support or just some time spent away from whatever was bothering them. 

A tugging at his robes redirected his attention to the tipsy boy clinging to him. 

“Hyung,” he whined, eyes large. Jungmo sighed - he was doing so a lot this evening - and stroked his hand over his hair a few times calmingly. 

“Can you wait for me here for a second?” he asked gently. “I need to finish here.” 

The younger boy pouted at him, his grip tightening. Jungmo cupped his face and smiled in an attempt to convince the younger boy that he was not leaving him, per se. 

“It’ll just take a minute,” he promised. “Please, Minnie.”

The nickname seemed to do the trick. The younger’s expression softened, and he nodded reluctantly, untangling himself from the older. Jungmo pulled his hands back and made sure the boy was sitting in his chair properly without danger of sliding off (he seemed sleepy). Then he turned around and headed off. 

There were even less students in the Great Hall by now, and even most teachers had left already, except for some chatting groups of them. He nodded politely at Professors Chungha and Sejeong when he passed them and stepped up to a small gaggle of fourth years, telling them to head to bed in a friendly manner. Luckily they did not try to protest and just assured him that they’d be on their way in a second. 

Jungmo carried on, telling all of the bigger groups in his vicinity to head off for now when his eyes fell on two people huddled together at a table. Squinting his eyes, he was able to make out who it was: Yohan, seated on a chair that was pushed right up against a second chair, his arms around Junho’s waist. The younger was seated lopsidedly in his seat, courtesy to Yohan, and pulled into the other. The Ravenclaw had his head leaned comfortably against the older’s shoulder, his head turned sideways so his forehead was leaning against Yohan’s neck. 

They looked comfortable, Jungmo thought. He felt almost regretful to disturb them, with the way they were wrapped into each other, quietly talking and in their own little world. There was a light flush on Junho’s cheeks and Yohan was smiling dopely - but judging from this alone they seemed sober to Jungmo. They weren’t acting any different from usual after all. 

He stopped on the other side of the table, chewing on his lip in thought. He should send them off but he felt averse to disturbing them. The universe however seemed to send him a sign. A sudden weight hit his back and draped itself over him, arms wrapping around his torso. 

“Hyung!” 

Minhee’s voice was whiny next to his ear while Jungmo flinched violently.

“I thought you weren’t coming back!” 

He had only been gone for five minutes or so. But that seemed to have been too long for the younger boy. On the other side of the table, Yohan had looked up and Junho had turned his head towards them. The Ravenclaw’s eyebrows were raised in amusement while Yohan looked like a startled rabbit. Jungmo raised an eyebrow at Junho, daring the other to comment on anything and raised his hand to pat Minhee’s hand around his chest. 

The younger was somewhat restraining his arms and movement was awkward, but Jungmo had to calm the other down again so he’d release him. This was so very unusual to how Minhee normally behaved - cheeky, open and forward, yes. But he still held a certain distance, had a nervous air surrounding him around the older. He was constantly jumping between cocky comments, punny pick-up lines and nervous stutters with bright blushing. He had been close to him, but never that close. Jungmo could count the times they had deliberately touched on one hand. 

Now, the younger seemed to either have lost his inhibition or unleashed a previously unknown side of himself - but according to Hangyul, it was the former. Minhee seemed unwilling to let him go again, but he grumbled a bit and let his arms loosen around the older. Jungmo turned his head to him and smiled gratefully before he looked back the pair he had initially focussed on. 

“It’s almost curfew,” he said. “You should head off.” 

Yohan pouted but nodded, while Junho just smiled slightly at Jungmo and turned his head to Yohan, searching his eyes. The older looked down at him, silently communicating until Junho nodded and went to get up, pulling Yohan with him. The older rose quickly from his seat, stumbling slightly but his hands went right back to Junho, throwing one arm around his shoulders and the other hand playing with his hair. Junho threw him another glance, to which Yohan retracted his hand from the brown strands but his arm stayed around the younger. 

Junho looked back at Jungmo who had observed their behaviour quietly, with Minhee still wrapped around him and the younger’s chin perched on his shoulder. At least he was calmer now than before. 

“Good night, hyung,” Yohan called over and Junho smiled instead of speaking too. Jungmo smiled back at them. 

“Sleep well,” he said and felt the arms around him vanish as Minhee started waving cheerily too. 

“Good nighty-night!” he called joyfully, drawing a snort from the younger Ravenclaw who waved back and the turned around, heading for the door with Yohan. Jungmo nodded approvingly and let his eyes go over the room again, looking for his next targets. He found them easily enough and his steps quickly took them towards the pair. 

Halfway there though he realised something. There were no steps following him. No second presence at his back. He turned around and - outright giggled at the sight. Minhee was still standing there, waving at the doorway. Junho and Yohan were gone already and no one was even there, but the boy was still standing there, waving and smiling. Jungmo took a step towards him again, calling his name. But he didn’t react.

He could leave him there - as long as he was occupied, Jungmo was free to do as he pleased and just collect him later, but he might also do something stupid. Or just wander off. You could never know with that boy. So he hurried back instead and touched the younger’s upper arm softly, gaining his attention.

“Come on,” he said with a smile, which Minhee reciprocated. He grabbed the younger’s hand - just a precaution of course - and pulled him slowly towards the table he had originally headed for, stepping up behind the older of the pair. 

“Hyung, it’s almost curfew,” he said quietly as he came to a stop behind Sejin’s chair, Tony opposite of him and with an obvious blush on his face but smiling. Sejin whipped around with a brilliant smile.

“Really?” he asked incredulously. “I didn’t realise!” 

Tony giggled slightly while Sejin looked at him in question. The younger kept his bright red colour and looked away shyly, but he didn’t seem uncomfortable at least. Jungmo, however, gained the slight impression that Sejin might have encountered the punch too - hence his forward and boisterous behaviour. His suspicion was confirmed when Tony looked at him with a smile. 

“I’ll take him back to the Ravenclaw tower,” he stated with a quiet voice. Quiet but not fearful at least. He seemed to really be warming up to all the shenanigans he was encountering. Sejin whipped back around to him. 

“If anything, I should be taking you home!” he said loudly, earning himself a raised eyebrow from some teachers close to them and barely suppressed laughter on Jungmo’s side, along with Tony turning bright red at worrying speed. Sejin backpedalled, waving his hands frantically and eyes wide open with a slightly scandalised expression. 

“Wait, that came out wrong!” he called. “I meant something different, I meant ….” 

His distressed behaviour was suddenly interrupted by Tony leaning forwards and in a surprising bout of confidence pulling Sejin’s hands from the air back into the Ravenclaw’s lap with a smile. 

“I know, hyung,” he said soothingly, “but let me walk you home today, okay? I’ll still be back before curfew.”

Only the red colour of his face was betraying his supposed calmness. Sejin - suddenly somewhat breathless for unknown reasons - studied the American boy’s face for a second before he nodded. Jungmo was pretty sure that it wasn’t the light playing tricks on his eyes, but that there actually was a light pink colour to Sejin’s cheeks. At least, his work was done here. 

He turned back around and looked through the Great Hall again. Almost empty by now. Almost. 

He raised a slight eyebrow at the couple - and their unfortunate third wheel - in the corner. Seungwoo and Seungsik were once again seated at their table from earlier, but unlike earlier, Seungwoo was clinging to Seungsik with the most foolishly loving expression Jungmo had ever seen on anyone, looking up at the other. Seungsik was absentmindedly threading his hand through his boyfriend’s hair while he was talking to Subin, who seemed somewhat sceptic at the display but generally unsurprised by the sight. 

Jungmo knew that their oldest and unofficial father figure had missed Seungsik, but to be very frank, the expression he was sporting now seemed outrageously lovestruck. The boy was glued to his boyfriend’s side, arms wrapped around his waist and one leg thrown over his. He seemed complacent in just watching the younger speak. 

Seungsik seemed completely unaffected, but Jungmo noticed how his hand never ceased movement, and how he occasionally glanced down with a gaze filled with affection. Subin, seated carefully outside of Seungwoo’s reach seemed absolutely relaxed - more than he had the entire week. Jungmo hadn’t gotten to know the shy boy very well, but he knew the other took some time to open up. Being here with Seungwoo and Seungsik seemed like something akin to a safe place for him: familiar and warm. He hadn’t been cold towards others but shy and insecure. So Jungmo was glad he wasn’t uncomfortable. 

Seungsik looked up and smiled brightly at him, causing Subin to turn around too. Seungwoo remained focussed on his boyfriend however. Jungmo smiled back in reply and lifted his left hand, tapping his wrist watch with an apologetic expression but Seungsik just nodded at him with understanding. His lips formed something directed at Subin who nodded in agreement and got up from his chair while Seungsik turned to Seungwoo. 

Jungmo turned back around. He had this covered too. What he hadn’t thought about was Minhee, which he realised with a start at the lack of the younger boy. He turned on his heel frantically, searching for the lanky Slytherin and heaving a breath in relief when he finally spotted him. The boy had wandered a few tables down, steps slow and careful as if he wasn’t sure how to properly use his limbs. His gaze was fixed upwards though. 

Jungmo felt worry creep up inside him. Considering the occasional clumsy streak of the younger, he’d manage to fall walking like that. The prefect quickly walked towards him, slowing his steps and lightly calling out for the younger to avoid startling him. But Minhee didn’t turn towards him, eyes focussed on the ceiling and mouth slightly open. Jungmo was confused as he stepped closer with only an inch or two separating him from the younger. He slowly moved his eyes from Minhee’s face to where he was looking too. 

It took him only a second to understand the fascination enchanting the younger boy at the sight. The charmed ceiling of the Great Hall displayed an almost magical pictures. For the last few days, it had been snowing relentlessly, and the sky had been filled with heavy grey clouds. While the sight of the white wonderland surrounding the castle grounds had been beautiful, the absence of even a sliver of sky had weighed bit on some, Jungmo included. He had missed the blue. 

But during the last two days it had been storming instead. Almost black threatening clouds had filled the sky over the castle, snow whipping around in the harsh wind and howling around the various towers. Classes outside had even been suspended on the last day, because the snow had just been too thick to even walk safely to the green houses and not end up in the lake.

But as he was looking up at the sky outside, shown on the ceiling, the clouds had broken apart. The storm seemed to have finally exhausted itself and the wind was taking over. Shreds and wisps of clouds were being swept across the sky that was finally looking back at them in a dark blue - so dark it was almost black, with with little specks of light scattered through it. White and grey clouds flew by, quick and ever changing in shape as the wind blew relentlessly. It had to be bitterly cold outside, but it was a beautiful spectacle. 

“This is amazing,” Jungmo heard himself whisper before his brain could even tell his mouth to. He glanced at Minhee who was still enraptured but nodded. They both looked up again, closely together with their arms brushing against each other. Eventually, the Slytherin spoke. 

“Hyung, I was thinking….” His voice was contemplative, and Jungmo turned his gaze towards the younger. He sounded like it was important. But he didn’t get to hear it. 

“I am going to find him, and I am so going to kick his ass!” a loud voice interrupted their tranquil moment and both boys flinched. An angry Wooseok was storming into their direction, cheeks flushed and eyes somewhat unfocussed with a frazzled Jinhyuk hurrying after him, his long legs having him catch up quickly.

“That’s a bad idea,” he was imploring the seething headboy. “You really shouldn’t kick anyone’s ass, isn’t that against some moral code of prefects or something?” 

But Wooseok was steadfastly ignoring the lanky boy running after him as he went towards and luckily past the startled boys - or at least that had been his plan, but Jinhyuk caught up to him and grabbed his shoulders, turning the smaller boy around. The glare that hit him would have been terrifying to anyone else, but apparently the involuntary time Jinhyuk had spent with Wooseok after being exchanged for Jungmo had taught him to just ignore it. 

“You need to calm down, Seok,” he said soothingly, hands holding the younger by the shoulders. Jungmo startled at the sudden use of nicknames.“Seungyoun has gone to bed, so you should yell at him in the morning instead!” 

But his words did not seem to sit well with the headboy - he seemed to get rather agitated from drinking. Or the general situation. Or both. But he definitely disagreed with Jinhyuk to certain extent. 

“What do you mean in the morning?” he spat. “I will talk to him right now!”

Jinhyuk sighed. 

“Seok,” he started again, but Wooseok interrupted again. 

“Stop calling me that!” he demanded, voice suddenly laced with another emotion, something Jungmo couldn’t really place. Something that was definitely not anger. The headboy fixed Jinhyuk in another angry stare before he sharply turned his head away. 

“Stop calling me that. Stop being so caring.” 

His voice had gotten more quiet. 

“Why are you always being so stupidly sweet with me?” he asked further. Jinhyuk seemed dumbstruck by the sudden change. 

“Why are you always acting like this, getting close one moment and then go back to - oh, I don’t know!” 

Wooseok’s voice rose again at the last part. 

“Why do you even care?” he asked, looking up at Jinhyuk, eyebrows furrowed. “Why do you keep coming back and confusing me? Why am I not able to deal with you like I do with everyone else?” 

Silence ensued, and Jungmo barely dared breathing. He was sure he hadn’t been supposed to witness any of this, and if Wooseok noticed them he would be embarrassed. He knew the older was all but an emotionless person but he wasn’t very outgoing about his feelings. That outburst right now had been something Jungmo had doubted to ever witness. 

Jinhyuk, however, seemed surprisingly calm. He stayed silent, gaze softer than Wooseok’s harsh tone should allow and Jungmo could see his grip soften, one hand moving to rub the headboy’s arm in comforting manner. He seemed more worried than distressed, if anything. When he finally answered, his words were barely above a whisper but Jungmo could still hear them. 

“How could I not care?” 

There was something in Jinhyuk’s gaze that Jungmo was sure he wasn’t supposed to see either, but still he didn’t dare to move. Wooseok, however, seemed to lose some of his fire for the moment, his head falling forward. Jinhyuk seemed to hesitate for a second before he pulled the smaller boy closer - not quite a hug, but close enough. 

That was when Jungmo decided he had seen enough and glanced over at Minhee - only to snort lightly at the sight. The younger had gone back to looking at the sky, only was he slack-jawed this time, with his mouth wide open and his eyes full of wonder. It was hilarious. But also so very endearing. 

“Come on,” he whispered. “We should head out.” 

Minhee was looking at him wide eyed, mouth still open but not protesting. Jungmo chuckled and put an arm on the boy’s back to gently lead him towards the doors. Minhee followed without protest and the prefect was almost hoping that they had gotten out unseen when he heard hurried footsteps behind him. Uh oh.

But Wooseok stormed past him, determination set on his face and Jinhyuk hurrying behind him. 

“Cho Seungyoun!” he yelled, heading straight for someone in the door with their back turned towards them. Just as Jungmo was trying to figure out if it really was Seungyoun who hadn’t headed for bed, a squeak reached his ears and Jinhyuk sped past him, his movement’s akin to a running giraffe. He grabbed the speeding Wooseok and pushed him forward, past the person in the doorway and towards the stairs. 

“Sorry Professor!” he called over his shoulder. “I’m gonna bring him to his common room!” And with that he took off, pulling a slightly disoriented Wooseok with him and out of immediate danger of going off on random people. 

Jungmo and Minhee reached the doorway just as the pair vanished into the castle and the prefect looked back at the person standing in it when Minhee perked up next to him. 

“Professor!” he called excitedly. “You’re here too!” 

Professor Ong Seongwoo turned around in the doorway and flashed them a smile, mischievousness in his eyes. Jungmo was slightly startled by that expression but he decided to ignore it. 

“Good evening, boys!” their astronomy teacher greeted back. “Lovely evening, wasn’t it? And good job, Jungmo, chasing the last few stragglers out.”

Minhee was almost skipping at the sight of his house teacher and Jungmo refrained himself from cooing. Instead he smiled back at the man. 

“Sorry it got so late though,” he apologised. Professor Ong must have been waiting for them to leave the Great Hall, making sure everyone had headed off. But the man just shook his head, his smile losing some of its impishness. 

“Don’t worry, it’s fine,” he said. “After all I even got compared to a student! Damn, I must’ve gotten the right lighting to look young again.” 

Jungmo chuckled - the man wasn’t old by any means. But he had a sense of hilarity to himself. Minhee was nodding excitedly like a child beside him and the Slytherin’s gaze softened again before he looked at Jungmo. 

“If you’re tired, I can take him back to the common room,” he offered. “It’s late after all.” 

Jungmo, however, shook his head. Apart from the fact that he didn’t want to burden his teacher, he also felt responsible for the younger boy. And if he was completely honest, there was also a slight unwillingness to part with him. 

“I’ll do it,” he replied. “It’s really not a problem.” 

Professor Ong looked between them and nodded, still smiling. 

“Alright then. Try not to take too long so you get enough sleep then and take care, both of you.” He nodded. “Good night then.” 

He turned around and headed towards the staircase, taking two steps at a time after the two boys had bid him goodbye to but stopped again halfway up. 

“Oh,” he added like an afterthought, “and in case I’m not seeing you again before Monday: Merry Christmas.” 

“Merry Christmas, Sir,” Jungmo responded while Minhee did the same. Their astronomy teacher send them one last smile before he finished climbing up the stairs. Jungmo in turn started tugging Minhee along with him, headed for the dungeons. The boy went willingly, now calmer than before - apparently his tiredness had caught up with him. 

Jungmo looked sideways a few times while he walked. Minhee was smiling softly, his hair glowing in the twilight of the dark corridors with less torches lit than during the day. His hand had grabbed Jungmo’s at some point and he was swinging their intertwined fingers merrily between them. A thought struck the older. 

“Minnie,” he started and the younger looked at him. “What were you thinking about earlier? When you looked at the ceiling?” 

The boy started walking slower at that, his smile slowly retreating until his expression was dead serious. Jungmo stopped, suddenly worried. Minhee’s eyes were set on his face, focussed and solemn. 

“I was thinking,” he started, voice silent. Jungmo waited with bated breath. 

“I was thinking…” he started again, eyes suddenly shimmering wet, “why can’t dragons blow out candles? It seems so unfair.” 

Say what now. 

“Like, they breathe fire,” the boy continued, voice becoming more agitated, “and so they can’t blow out candles!” 

He seemed seriously troubled by this issue, and Jungmo was lost for words for a moment. He had not expected to deal with this kind of question. He hadn’t known what to expect, in any case. But he had to figure something out, because the younger boy looked like he was about to cry at the thought. 

“No, no, no, no, no,” he said quickly. “Don’t worry! They can blow out candles!” 

Minhee looked surprised at that. 

“Dragons have glands with ignitable secretions that they can release at will,” he explained. “They can also breath out normally, they choose when they breathe fire!” 

Relief flooded Minhee’s features, and he heaved a breath. 

“Thank god,” he whispered. “I was so worried!” 

Jungmo felt wave after wave of incredulity wash over him, but decided to just accept it. 

“Come on,” he said gently and tugged the other boy forward. They weren’t far from the Slytherin common room anymore and so they took barely a minute to reach there in comfortable silence, Minhee happily swinging their still joined hands between them. Another thought arose in Jungmo’s mind just as they stopped before the tapestry. 

“You know,” he said with a chuckle, “if anything, they would have a problem lighting the candle without melting it completely. Oh, Felix Felicis.” 

His last words were directed at the tapestry which he pulled aside to open the door when Minhee tugged slightly on his arm. Upon turning around he saw his borderline horrified expression. 

“But hyung,” he whispered, “that’s even worse.” 

Jungmo turned back around from the door with a sigh. He should’ve thought about his words more. 

“They need to be careful, I suppose?” he tried gingerly and apparently Minhee was by now tired enough to just take his lame attempt. After a moment of consideration, he nodded in agreement. 

Jungmo turned back to the door and pushed it open, pulling the younger boy inside with him. The common room seemed deserted at first glance and Jungmo was ready to head for the dorm rooms when a figure rose from one of the sofas. 

It was Hangyul, clad in pyjama pants and something that was probably Seungyoun’s sweater, considering how he was swamped in it. He turned towards them with a soft smile, heading over. Once again, Jungo felt surprised at how caring the boy was. 

“I can take over from here,” he said gently, keeping his voice down to not wake anyone. “You can head to sleep, you both look tired.” 

Jungmo smiled at him gratefully - finding everything in the dark without waking anyone would have been a task in itself he felt ill-equipped to handle. 

But arms wrapped around him again, and a tall warm body pressed against his back. Minhee had not even let go of their hands, trapping Jungmo’s arm against his chest as he hugged the older from behind.

“No, don’t go!” he demanded quietly with an audible pout in his voice. But Jungmo shook his head, a soft smile adorning his face once more. He lightly pushed against Minhee’s arm and when the younger loosened his grip, he turned around to face him. 

“I really need some sleep,” he explained softly, “but I promise I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” 

It was hard to resist the younger’s pout and there were some strands of hair falling into his eyes. Jungmo lifted his hand and brushed them away before he even registered his own movements. His fingers brushed lightly over the warm skin at Minhee’s neck but he pulled it back. 

The younger’s other hand that had still been resting at his waist fell down in defeat and the boy sighed. Jungmo smiled wider. 

“Sleep well,” he said affectionately, not looking away until Minhee’s eyes, that had been downcast, were fixed on his. The younger hesitated for a moment before he spoke. 

“You too, hyung.” 

At his final acknowledgement that this was goodnight, Jungmo stepped back and glanced at Hangyul too, who had been watching their exchange with an amused expression from where he was leaned against the closest sofa. 

“Good Night,” Jungmo directed at him and the other raised an eyebrow. 

“No ‘sleep well’ for me?” he asked cheekily, but added “Good Night” directly after. And the Ravenclaw was grateful for the lack of teasing. He was too tired to deal with this now. Tired and maybe a bit confused by the feeling swirling in his chest. 

So he turned around and, with a last smile at Minhee, he headed for the door, pulling it shut behind him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any surprises? Or all as expected?  
Bad or good?  
Talk to us on twitter (@chaos_kisses) or in the comments. 
> 
> Have a great start into the New Year in advance and we hope, everything you're hoping for will come to pass!


	22. Oh I just can't wait to be king! and other shenanigans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and welcome to the new year, everyone! We hope you had a great start and that you will find many enjoyable things and events in your future!

“You two are the most disgusting couple I have ever met, and that’s saying a lot, considering our friends,” Sihoon stated as he sat down opposite of Eunsang. The vigor of his words was only lessened by the amused smile playing around his features. Eunsang grinned in reply while Jungmo just chuckled. The third Ravenclaw in the compartment was already nestled comfortably into a corner, his legs tucked underneath him and a book in his lap. 

“How did you know?” he asked Sihoon, while Eunsang continued to put his stuff away and follow Jungmo’s example in the corner at the window. The other scoffed. 

“I spent new year’s at Eunsangie’s,” he explained, “because my parents went to visit family and I would’ve been alone at home. Which would have been sad, thank you very much. And let me tell you, him and Junghwan are disgustingly sweet.” 

Contrary to his words, his voice turned softer, somewhat fonder while Sihoon elaborated on his supposed outrage. A light blush had taken over Eunsang’s features as he tried to act nonchalant. 

“You know, somehow it’s hard for me to imagine Sangie with a boyfriend,” Jungmo said teasingly, an impish grin pulling the corners of his mouth upwards. 

“Same here,” a gentle voice said from the door and Junho appeared in the entrance, huddled in a thick coat and pulling his stuff down the train hallway. “But I would have said the same about you, Jungmo hyung, if I hadn’t seen you at Yule Ball. That was adorable.” 

A mischievous wink was thrown at the stupefied prefect who was left with his mouth open. Eunsang and Sihoon both exchanged equally confused glances while a chuckle behind Junho gathered all their attention towards the door again. Yohan had stepped up behind Junho as the younger had managed to maneuver his suitcase into the compartment. He waved at the rest before he waited for Junho to turn around to him. 

“I’m gonna go and look for the others,” he said and held out a hand with a linen bag hanging from it. “Don’t forget mum’s snack bag again.” 

Junho reached out with a gasp as he took the bag from Yohan’s outstretched hand. 

“Your mum or my mum?” he asked as he glanced inside and Yohan chuckled. The Gryffindor was leaned against the open sliding door with his shoulder, arms now crossed in front of him and eyes fixed on his best friend with a smile.

“Both,” he replied amusedly. “You know how they are. Alright then.” 

He pushed himself off the frame and waved again. 

“I’ll see you guys later! Have fun!”

And with this Yohan stepped back and slid the door shut, back on his way to find his friends and housemates. Junho had waved back at him, but his eyes were still inspecting the snack bag excitedly. Jungmo pulled out his leg from underneath himself and poked the younger with a toe.

“Put your stuff away and sit down!” he complained. “You’re making me anxious, standing there like a statue.” 

Junho’s head snapped back up and he sent a playful pout at the older but followed his words and lifted his suitcase to stow it away. The prefect pulled his foot back contentedly and Eunsang shifted his eyes back to Sihoon, opposite of him, when Jungmo muttered something with obvious amusement. 

“Talk about disgustingly sweet though.” 

Eunsang felt his heart pull tight as his eyes found Sihoon, whose expression was carefully neutral. He was aware their friend meant nothing harmful by it, but Eunsang knew how deep these few words cut for Sihoon. Junho - blessedly oblivious Junho - just glanced at Jungmo in confusion, his suitcase lifted over his head. 

“What do you mean?” he asked in honest puzzlement. Jungmo grinned back at him. 

“You’ll figure it out,” he played it off. “What about the snack bag tough? ‘Your mum or my mum’? Are you two married now?” 

Junho just chuckled and slid his suitcase into the space above the seats, throwing his coat up there too and dropping into the seat next to Sihoon. The older Ravenclaw turned his head to smile warmly at the younger boy, who returned the smile happily. Eunsang, however, could see the slight pain in Sihoon’s eyes. 

“Nah,” Junho waved Jungmo’s previous comment off. “It’s like a tradition from when we became friends. We used to share all the snacks we brought from home, and our mums caught up at some point over summer holidays. And from then on they always made shared snackbags for us, which is really sweet.” 

Eunsang had to admit that this was a rather adorable tradition. Sihoon looked somewhat puzzled as he looked at Junho. 

“If they’re shared snack bags,” he asked, “then why did you ask who it was from?” 

Junho beamed fondly. 

“Our families either spend New Year together or meet up right after,” he explained, “and sometimes our mums already prepare the bag then or they make one separately and leave us to sort it out. And I couldn’t remember what they did this year.” 

An understanding nod from the older had Junho turn his attention back to the compartment inhabitants.

“How did you guys spend New Year?” he asked curiously with a glint in his eyes. Jungmo chuckled again - the older seemed in an amazingly happy mood today, Eunsang noted. He wondered where that originated from. 

“I was at home,” the older replied to Junho’s question. “Most of my family was there and my niece demanded that I was her New Year’s kiss.” 

‘Aaawww’ sounded through the compartment in various stages of amusement at that image. Jungmo’s niece was five, and incredibly cute - but also rather headstrong. What she demanded, Jungmo would give her eventually - at least within reason. Junho grinned. 

“I hope she didn’t steal your first kiss, hyung,” he commented coyly. Jungmo just returned the grin and shook his head. 

“She kissed me on the cheek,” he replied, “so the answer is no.” 

“You should always wait for the right person and the right moment,” a faux-sagely voice announced from the doorway and four heads turned towards it. Seungyoun had opened the door enough to push his head into the compartment with a grin, Hangyul with a smirk behind him and a slightly embarrassed Dohyon towering over them. Yellow streaks were mixed into his black hair. 

“Hyung,” Eunsang gasped dramatically, hand clutching his chest, “you always know just what to say.” 

Seungyoun straightened up, an exaggeratedly pleased smile on his face and Sihoon snorted at the sight. Hangyul shook his head, still smirking, and lifted his hand to pull Seungyoun back again. 

“Leave them to it,” he scolded playfully, “You’re being creepy with slithering into conversations like this.” 

Seungyoun turned back to his boyfriend, the tease dripping off his words. 

“But you love it,” he announced. Hangyul rolled his eyes, unable to erase his smile and just grabbed Seungyoun’s hair, waving at the rest. 

“I’ll see you later,” he said warmly and then started pulling Seungyoun down the hallway by his hair, accentuated by a loud ‘Oh, kinky!’ and a long-suffering Dohyon following after them with ‘You are embarrassing’ after he too waved at the four Ravenclaws. The boys stared at the open door, somewhat flabbergasted at the display but not too surprised. Seungyoun wasn’t exactly known for being on the down-low. 

Amused expressions were shared when a knock against the still open door brought them back again. 

“Happy New Year,” the boy in the door frame announced. White hair was framing his sharp features and a royal blue pullover contrasted beautifully with the colour. Minhee waved at the rest. 

“I’m just popping in to say hi,” he carried on with a grin. “I’m off to find Wonjin. We got stuff to do.” 

Junho laughed. 

“You forgot the reading?” he asked and the Slytherin boy nodded enthusiastically. 

“You bet we did!” There was way too much joy in his voice for his announcement but considering the amount of reading they had been assigned over break, Eunsang was sure it wouldn’t last too long. He chuckled as his friend waved again and straightened again from his hunched position, but he halted in his movement as if he had forgotten something. Mischief took over his eyes and he leaned back again, head craned around to focus on Jungmo in the corner. 

“Hyung,” he started out and Eunsang almost held his breath. “Do you believe in love at first sight? Or should I walk by again?” 

Silence reigned for just about three heartbeats while Jungmo and Minhee were in a staring match - one slightly surprised at the line, and one equally surprised at his own bravery. Eventually Jungmo grinned lopsidedly and waved his hand in a dismissive manner. 

“Keep walking,” he replied easily but never broke the eye contact. Minhee’s smile broadened and he pulled back again, actually retreating this time and pulling the door shut. Eunsang looked back at Jungmo who was still looking at the door with an amused smile but more fondness than expected in his eyes. 

“If it wasn’t his niece,” Eunsang whispered dramatically loud, “I know who will steal his first kiss.” 

Jungmo whipped around to fix him in a stare just as Sihoon snorted and Junho started outright laughing. The older didn’t look mad, but there was the hint of a blush on his features. 

Well, I know who took your first kiss,” he retorted, “on a piano bench.” 

Eunsang grinned widely and nodded, the memory replaying in his head. He wouldn’t forget that first kiss, ever. 

“Yup,” he replied, just as Sihoon let out a groan. 

“That cursed piano bench!” he exclaimed in a wail and attracted the worried looks of the other inhabitants of the compartment. The boy had an arm thrown over his eyes, shaking his head rapidly. When he lowered the arm, he fake-glared at Eunsang. 

“I have walked in too many times to them snogging on it,” he proclaimed, “and I was only there for three days.” 

Jungmo winced in sympathy. Walking in on your friends wasn’t exactly what anyone wanted to do repeatedly. Eunsang just shrugged. He only felt slightly sorry for his friend but he missed Junghwan. Even with their frequent calls, the letters and everything - it had been different to finally see him again like this, to speak to him face to face and feel his arms around him. 

“I haven’t seen him in a while,” he stated petulantly. “We were catching up.” 

They had had a lot of catching up to do. Long days and nights spent on walks over the fields and around the village, cuddled under the covers together, seated in front of the piano. Catching up, but also re-familiarising. They knew each other but not that well yet. They hadn’t spent enough time together for that - but they were trying. 

And Eunsang had to admit that with Junghwan, he didn’t mind exchanging details again that they had exchanged previously. Seeing, learning and noticing habits and interests. They had been awkward at first, not much but a bit. Unsure how to act after not seeing the other. Unsure what was right and wrong, unfamiliar with reuniting and carrying on what had been there previously. But that was just how life worked, he thought. And they had worked.

At his words Junho snorted and hid his face in his hands, shoulders shaking with giggles while Jungmo leaned his head back and laughed. Sihoon looked thoroughly amused at that and fondness had crept up on his features. 

“Seriously though,” he said calmly. “Those two are really sweet together. And Junghwan fits Eunsang very well - they really click. Plus, he’s tall, handsome, talented and kind. A great catch.” 

Eunsang hissed. 

“Hands off,” he threatened and stretched out his leg to poke Sihoon, who just broke out into laughter. Junho looked on from between his fingers. 

“Now we know your type, hyung!” he announced and Eunsang felt how Sihoon stiffened for a moment underneath his still attacking foot before he turned to look at Junho sceptically. 

“To who does it narrow that down though?” he asked. Junho snapped his fingers. 

“Let’s brainstorm!” he said excitedly. “What did you say? Tall, kind, handsome, talented?” 

“All I can think of is Seungwoo hyung,” Jungmo giggled and Eunsang snorted. 

“Sorry, he’s already in other hands,” Sihoon snorted. 

“Well, there is Jinhyuk - though _ someone _ might not like it - or Yuvin.” 

Sihoon shook his head, terrified at the mere thought of getting in Wooseok’s way. And Yuvin wasn’t really his type, Eunsang could figure. If anything, they would have to adapt that description to sweet, oblivious and a Ravenclaw, and even then, Junho would probably never think of himself. But he knew Sihoon had decided to try and get over it, so if he was coping like this, Eunsang wouldn’t stop him. 

“Also, don’t forget Yujin!” he added cheekily. “She’s lovely. And Wonyoung too, though she’s too young for you.”

“Chaeyoung and Eunwoo too,” Jungmo jumped in. “And if you’re looking for a tree, there is Yuri.” 

Sihoon, whos expression had become more and more befuddled, snorted at the last comment, peals of laughter falling from his mouth as he leaned back into his seat. 

“We,” he gasped, “should really stop this.” 

Eunsang giggled as they waited for Sihoon to calm down. Eventually, he looked back up, a happy gleam in his eyes. 

“I’m surprised you didn’t name Minhee though,” he commented with his eyes set on Jungmo. “You seem very fond of him lately. Any deeper intention behind it?” 

Eunsang exchanged a quick glance with Junho before they both looked at Jungmo expectantly. He was chewing on his lower lip, eyes fixed on the door again as if Minhee was standing there again. 

“Possibly,” he said slowly and Eusang’s eyes bulged slightly, “If I know him better. I hardly know him enough as it is to become friends. But I admit…” 

A soft smile spread on the prefect’s face and he looked down into his lap. 

“I admit he is cute. Weird but cute. We get along well.” 

That was something, and more honest of an admittance than Eunsang had expected to hear. Denial and rejection was what had been more feasible, coming from Jungmo. But Eunsang couldn’t help the slightly excited feeling at the prospect of his friend having a chance with the one year older Ravenclaw. 

He knew Minhee had developed a heavy crush on Jungmo, and that underneath all his bravado he was actually nervous when interacting with the prefect. Eunsang knew the Slytherin well: he was slightly weird at times - hence his cringy lines - and definitely not pretending to be different in front of Jungmo. But the appearance of his cuddly clingy self during Yule Ball had exposed a side of him to the prefect that the latter hadn’t been aware of before, and from what Eunsang could see it hadn’t scared him off. They needed time if anyone asked him. 

Comfortable silence fell over them for a while as the landscape outside changed to the slight hills of the midlands, and started changing into the rougher landscape of the north. Eunsang had curled up comfortably in a corner, huddled into a ball as he stared out of the window, drifting in and out of consciousness. The large white pullover he was wearing held the familiar scent of Junghwan - he had snagged the garment when he had felt cold yesterday and Junghwan had told him to keep it. 

“If you’re going back north, I don’t want you to be cold,” the older had argued, but Eunsang knew that wasn’t the full reason. It had been four months since they had seen each other, and it would be another five until they were back together again. Even longer than before, and having just a piece of the other with him would at least be something physical. 

So in turn, he had unwrapped his scarf from his neck later in the day and thrown the blue garment around Junghwan’s neck, pulling the older closer by the ends. They had gone on a walk while Sihoon was taking a nap, both huddled into thick coats and Eunsang bundled up in the white sweater. Now, they were close in the middle of a snow covered field. It was just a thin white layer, barely enough to cover up the grass underneath, but it was snow. Eunsang regretted being unable to show Junghwan the snowy landscape of the northern Highlands, the castle frosted in white and the lake freezing over. 

Instead, he had looked up into Junghwan’s eyes, his breath coming in puffs of white steam, and felt the older’s arms wrap around him. He ignored the cold around them, unwilling to step out of the embrace in favour of reaching warmth faster. Instead, he was completely lost in those warm brown eyes. 

“I missed you,” he admitted shyly, as if he hadn’t said it many times already. Junghwan smiled slightly, his eyes growing even fonder and he leaned down, pressing his forehead against Eunsang’s. The younger closed his eyes at the gesture and the tips of their noses brushed. Both were cold. Their breaths mingled from the proximity and if he tried hard enough, he could imagine the cold vanishing. 

“I missed you too,” Junghwan replied quietly. “And I’m gonna miss you even more, now that you have been home.” 

WIth a choked sound, Eunsang threw his arms up and around Junghwan’s neck, pulling the older flush against him. He buried his face in the thick coat, the material cold against his face while Junghwan buried his face in Eunsang’s neck, his cold nose pressed against the warm skin. The younger shivered but at the same time, he was unwilling to let go. 

“It won’t be long,” Junghwan promised. “Time will fly by, and we’ll see each other quicker than expected.” 

Eunsang had hummed non-commitally against his shoulder and they had stayed like this for a bit longer until the wind had picked up and Eunsang wasn’t even sure how legs were supposed to feel like anymore. 

They had returned home in an almost frozen state, and Eunsang’s mother had taken one look at them and grabbed her special warm-up potion (disguised as mulled wine for an unsuspecting Junghwan), sitting them down in front of the fireplace, where an amused looking Sihoon was already balancing a book and some tea. Eunsang had trailed back into the kitchen to grab the biscuits his mum had laid out on a plate when she had looked at him and taken in the pullover. 

“Junghwannie’s?” she had asked with a smile and Eunsang had nodded shyly. His mum and looked at him for a moment before she had taken out her wand and tapped the pullover lightly, stowing the wand away quickly after. Eunsang had looked at her in puzzlement. 

“I used to steal your father’s clothes a lot back in the day,” she said with a wink and turned around to grab the cups, gesturing for Eunsang to take the plate with biscuits. “Because they smelled like him. And eventually, I found a spell to keep the scent, even if it was being washed.” 

And with no further comment she left, leaving a surprised Eunsang in the kitchen. 

.oO°Oo.

The new term had started as it always did: chaotic reunion, everyone talking over each other and at least three hidden Christmas cracker going off by themselves, taped underneath chairs and catapulting the unlucky person seated there at least a metre into the air. Nothing new for anyone. The teachers had jumped straight into the term with work and especially the older students were already groaning over the amounts of homework that hit them. Just one thing had been missing for now. 

But Eunsang knew that the traditional prank of the new year had started when he stepped out of the Great Hall and almost lost his hearing from Hangyul’s shrill shriek. He hadn’t been aware the older could reach this range, and Seungyoun beside him seemed equally surprised at the unexpected sound with some white streaks in his hair. Seungwoo, who had been walking with them, stumbled in shock.

As Eunsang followed the older’s line of sight, he saw what had incited the shriek. Jinhyuk (who else, really) was standing on top of the staircase behind the banister, one foot placed atop the railing. In his arms he held Dohyon outstretched into the air. The younger was wearing a lion costume, complete with make-up smeared onto his face. A mischievous grin was etched onto his features while Jinhyuk was singing the opening theme of Lion King. Eunsang recognised the song immediately - he had watched the movie with Junghwan and Sihoon just a week ago. 

“What the hell are you doing?” Hangyul sounded close to a panic attack at the sight of Dohyon dangling precariously in the air, Jinhyuk trembling from the strain of holding him up. Seungwoo was twitching nervously, hands in the air as if he was ready to catch the boy if he fell. Meanwhile Seungyoun was mumbling quiet ‘Oh gods’ and clasping tightly onto Hangyul’s shoulder. 

“Who’s being loud again?” sounded the slightly annoyed voice of Wooseok behind them, and the headboy stepped through the large door of the Great Hall just as Eunsang turned around, eyes wide and expression slightly panicked. Wooseok’s eyes widened at the scene, his mouth falling open in a mixture of surprise and disapproval. 

Hangyul shot around. 

“Do something!” he called pleadingly while Dohyon started giggling from where he was dangling a good six metres above ground. Wooseok looked at the panicked Slytherin and raised an eyebrow, his stance relaxing and his face becoming more amused than shocked. 

“Don’t worry,” he said calmly, “Jinhyuk probably laid out an invisible safety net again.” 

Everyone immediately turned back to the Gryffindor with a pleading expression after hearing Wooseok’s words. Jinhyuk, however had stopped singing. And grinning. Instead his eyes were wide and his mouth shaped into an ‘oh’. 

“Damn,” he breathed. “I knew I forgot something.” 

The faces of everyone downstairs morphed into masks of horror at his words and they stayed frozen. It was just a second, but it was enough for Jinhyuk’s grip on Dohyon to loosen. Another shriek echoed through the entrance hall, but from several voices this time and Dohyon started falling. Eunsang felt Wooseok grip his arm, absolutely frozen, his eyes focussed on the younger boy - but surprisingly, he felt no fear for Dohyon. 

His eyes had been set on Dohyon since Jinhyuk’s announcement and the face of the younger Slytherin had never lost its grin. There was no fear, even as he fell. Eunsang knew Dohyon well enough to know for sure that the boy was cautious to an extent. Cautious enough to not put himself into danger willingly. So there had to be a catch to this. 

And there was. Literally. Dohyon fell for about two metres before he hit something mid-air: a silver net, that glowed upon impact. Eunsang’s gaze shot around. All of the entrance hall was laid out with the net, several layers, to catch anything that fell onto it. The boy bounced in the silver strings, peals of laughter falling from his mouth, while Jinhyuk was grinning like a madman, leaned over the banister. 

Eunsang saw that his hand had ímmediately gone for his wand, ready to react if anything was going wrong at all. The Gryffindor was indeed careful, he noted proudly. Willing to take a risk but not at the cost of someone else. Dohyon, who was still happily bouncing on the silver security net, was completely fine. 

Hangyul, however, had turned pale as death and looked ready to faint. Seungyoun carefully put an arm around his waist, ready to catch his boyfriend while Seungwoo was breathing heavily. Wooseok cleared his throat beside Eunsang, loosening his grip on the younger’s arm and taking a step forward, his hand coming to rest on Seungwoo’s back and drawing comforting circles. 

“He’s fine,” he said quietly. “Don’t worry.” 

Upstairs, Jinhyuk had now pointed his wand at Dohyon. The silvery net became more elastic and a drop-like shape formed where the boy was sitting, having him dangle in a silver cage beneath the actual net. At another swing of his wand, the cage started lowering itself with a thick silvery thread connecting to the net. It looked almost like a lift with Dohyon seated cross legged inside. About thirty centimetres above floor it stopped and a hole appeared, large enough for Dohyon to climb out while Jinhyuk stepped away from the banister and went to hurry down the stairs, his long legs carrying him to the boy in a flash. 

“Everything alright?” Eunsang heard him ask with a kind smile and Dohyon replied with a grin and a thumbs up. Hangyul though seemed to have regained his senses and his protective big brother instinct hit him full force. He shook off Seungyoun’s arm and started stomping towards the two boys, the rest following in a slightly less aggressive manner. 

“What were you thinking?” Hangyul hissed at Jinhyuk as he grabbed Dohyon by the shoulders, patting the boy up and down as if checking everything was still there. Dohyon let him do so, eyes flitting over the rest before they settled on Hangyul. Jinhyuk smirked. 

“Oh, this wasn’t my idea,” he said calmly, completely unfazed by Hangyul’s wrath. Hangyul halted in his patting of Dohyon, faced a mask of disbelief. Seungwoo mirrored his stance and Seungyoun seemed to struggle a bit with keeping up and deciding between calming Hangyul, checking on Dohyon and snapping at Jinhyuk. He was frozen in a weird pose with jazz hands, undecided what to do first. 

“Oh,” said a soft voice and Eunsang looked at Wooseok who seemed to realise something. “Do you mean..?” 

Dohyon’s grin was answer enough as he looked quickly at the headboy and then back to Hangyul who seemed absolutely flabbergasted. 

“That’s revenge for always catching you and Seungyounie in the most inappropriate states,” he declared proudly and all eyes snapped to the Slytherin couple. Seungyoun had the decency to turn pink, his hair following his example in some strands. Hangyul however seemed as immobile as before: eyes wide and mouth open, hands clasped around Dohyon’s upper arms. 

“Nam Dohyon.” 

Hangyul’s voice sounded deceivingly calm, but it was even deeper than usual, almost a growl. Seungyoun looked taken aback and stepped away, almost stumbling over Eunsang in the process.

“Oh oh,” he said, catching Dohyon’s eyes who looked equal parts elated and scared, his eyes wide and his smile still intact. He chuckled. 

“I’m in danger,” he commented. And with that he took off, shaking Hangyul’s hands from his arms and turning around to sprint down the corridor. The older Slytherin took only a second to react, immediately running after the younger boy. 

“Nam Dohyon, what were you thinking?” The anger in his voice was already laced with amusement and if the smile twitching around Seungyoun’s mouth was any indication, he wasn’t half as serious as he made himself out to be. Their steps vanished into the castle as Dohyon rounded the corner, long lanky limbs flailing and cackling while Hangyul sped after him, quick and determined. 

Wooseok glanced at Jinhyuk. 

“Seriously?” he asked in an amused manner. “Lion King?” 

Now it was everyone’s turn to be surprised. Wooseok wasn’t really well-versed in movies, but apparently Lion King had made it into his inventory. Jinhyuk’s face lit up in a smile. 

“So you actually watched it!” he exclaimed happily just as Wooseok seemed to regret his words - and thereby exposing himself. Eunsang felt a giggle climb up his throat at the hint of a flush at the headboy’s throat, who pulled the collar of his large blue sweater higher in an attempt to hide it. Seungyoun grinned while Seungwoo looked like a cat that just got the cream. 

“Is that…?” the Slytherin started asking and pointed at Wooseok’s sweater, but the headboy was faster than his friend. Eunsang flinched in surprise as Wooseok grabbed Seungyoun’s ear and started pulling the Slytherin down the corridor, muttering something about ‘a nosy idiot who should learn to keep his mouth shut’ while Seungyoun let out a variety of interesting squeals. Seungwoo looked after them, giggling, before he turned to Jinhyuk with a slightly more stern expression. Jinhyuk returned the gaze and groaned. 

“I know,” the Gryffindor whined. “But he was so cute when asking, and I couldn’t reject him!”

Seungwoo shook his head in disapproval. 

“This could have gotten dangerous,” he said. “I know you made several nets, but imagine if any of us would have let off a spell to save him - we would have diffused the barrier and then he’d have fallen.” 

Jinhyuk sighed and rubbed his hands over his face. 

“I know,” he replied, “and I took additional safety measures! I had a strength and connection spell on my hands to keep him from falling too far, plus the lion suit was enchanted to turn into a large cushion if he fell.” 

Seungwoo looked slightly taken aback. 

“That,” he stated slowly, “is impressive. And they didn’t cancel each other?” 

Jinhyuk shook his head. 

“I tried all of them,” he said. “But you’re right. It was too dangerous.” 

The Gryffindor sounded incredibly dejected and Eunsang felt the sudden need to hug him. He hadn’t meant any harm - he had just wanted to help Dohyon out with his admittedly scary prank. But still - Eunsang had felt his heart stop for a second when he had seen Dohyon. He didn’t want to know how Hangyul might have felt, with Dohyon being practically like his younger brother. Still, Eunsang stepped forward and placed a hand on Jinhyuk’s arm in an attempt to comfort the older who sighed again. 

“Are you gonna give me detention?” the Gryffindor asked with a half-hearted smile but Seungwoo shook his head. His features had returned to their previous kindness. 

“No,” he claimed. “I’ll leave that to Wooseok. He was the only one of us who didn’t panic, and he had a better grasp of the situation with the net and all. He should decide.” 

Jinhyuk looked surprised and so did Eunsang. Wooseok really _ had _ been surprisingly calm. A question popped up in his head. 

“Hyung,” Eunsang asked, “how did Wooseok know about the net in the first place? Was he in on this?” 

Seungwoo snorted audibly while Jinhyuk looked close to hysteria at the thought of involving Wooseok in a prank, before his expression turned completely empty and he looked at the younger boy. 

“Eunsang,” he said strangely calm, “do you really think I would still be alive if I involved Wooseok in a prank like this?” 

Eunsang had to admit, he was right. Wooseok would have taken Jinhyuk’s head before anything would have come to pass. Seungwoo nodded beside him. 

“The only thing dangling,” Seungwoo added, “would have been Jinhyuk’s dead body.” 

The image had Eunsang involuntarily snort while Jinhyuk nodded somberly, voice gravely. 

“I want my funeral to be beautiful,” he announced. “Seungwoo, I trust you on this. But for now, so long! I will enjoy life to the fullest!”

While he spoke Jinhyuk did a rather uncoordinated twirl, almost hit his long arm into Seungwoo’s and Eunsang’s face and then scurried towards the stairs in a dramatic manner - promptly stumbling on the first step. He vanished from sight behind the banister for a second only for a hand to shoot up and his face following closely after. 

“I’m alright!” he called. “See ya!” 

And with long steps, he started running up the staircase, leaving the remaining two at the bottom. Seungwoo chuckled lightly and glanced at Eunsang. The older Hufflepuff’s eyes were glinting in barely suppressed amusement and mirth, his eyes visible for the first time in over a month - Seungsik had finally cut his hair when he had returned. Eunsang grinned back. 

“We know too many idiots,” the older stated and Eunsang nodded, mischief starting to glow in his smile. 

“But hyung,” he returned sweetly, “doesn’t like turn to like?” 

And with this, he took off quickly while Seungwoo was still processing his words. He had already reached the top of the stairs when he heard a scream of “Lee Eunsang!”, but no steps following. Regardless, he continued in his sprint, hurrying down corridors and up staircases until he reached the spindly steps towards his Common Room. 

Panting he climbed up and answered the riddle (“Give me food, and I will live. Give me water, and I will die.” - “You know you asked me this thrice already?” - “Well, you think of a better riddle then!”) and entered the Common Room. Most seats were occupied, the chairs as well as the sofas. He saw Junho huddled into a corner with Sihoon, heads bowed over what looked like an old map - they were probably discussing history again. Eunsang shuddered - that really wasn’t his forte. 

But seeing his friends occupied, he was left with two options: find someone else in the tower to spend the evening with and successfully ignore his coursework for now or head out to another Common room. Dinner wasn’t that long ago, so he still had time to go, spend some time and head back before he incited the wrath of any patrolling prefect upon himself for being out after hours.

But if he was being completely honest, he felt too lazy to do so. The start of the year had been hectic and it was a Thursday evening. Neither one to stay up long, nor one that he knew the Muggle studies room was unlocked - instead, the Professors held weekly presentations for all teachers to catch up on muggle world happenings then. So no chance of calling Junghwan. 

So the first option it was - he should check the dorms. Maybe someone else was just as bored and lonely as him. With a decisive nod to himself he took off towards the stairs, heading up to his own room first. He could grab a book in case no one was there. Or just huddle himself in blankets and sit in the windowsill dramatically. How exciting.

A sound from the first door had him halt his steps, however. The sixth year dorm - he didn’t know all of them too well but maybe someone familiar was there! Eunsang stepped closer and lifted his hand, still hesitating. What if it was someone he didn’t know? He shook his head - those were his housemates, he shouldn’t be so hesitant. And he could always say he had been looking for Sihoon. He curled his hand and knocked. 

“Yes?” a familiar voice asked and Eunsang breathed in relief. Yunseong. 

He lowered his hand to grab the handle and pushed the door open wide enough to look inside, still standing outside in the hallway. 

“Hyung?” he asked and saw Yunseong turn around to him at his bed, his coat in his hand and gaze questioning. 

“Oh,” Eunsang said in surprise, dejection growing inside him, “where you about to go out?” 

But Yunseong shook his head with a small smile. 

“Nope,” the older replied, “I actually just got back. I was out with Donghyun.” 

Figured, Eunsang thought. Those two were hardly ever apart. But if Yunseong was here, then where was his counterpart? 

“Why did you come?” Yunseong asked curiously and laid his coat on the bed, now turning fully around and gesturing for Eunsang to come in. The younger quickly followed, opening the door wide enough to slip in and closing it again - there was a nasty draught in the hallway and his butt had started feeling icy. 

“I was bored,” he admitted, “and Junho is occupied with Sihoon, so I was looking for someone to spend some time with…” 

He trailed of and almost blushed - why did he sound like a small child looking for a playmate? But Yunseong nodded in understanding. 

“I wouldn’t want to waddle off to another Common Room either, it’s freezing and just…” He stopped to gather his words, gesturing vaguely. “The holidays haven’t worn off yet, have they?” 

Eunsang nodded, eyes wide in exasperation from the mere thought of his schoolwork. His motivation had not yet found the way back to Hogwarts. 

“Exactly,” he agreed. Yunseong nodded, biting his lip in thought and glanced at the time. Eunsang followed his eyes. 

“Don’t feel obligated if you already had something planned!” Eunsang hurriedly added, holding up his hands in front of him. But Yunseong just grinned at his outburst and shook his head. 

“Don’t worry, I’m not changing any plans,” he said with a teasing grin. “I was just checking if I’m late yet. I’m meeting up with Yena in the Common Room later, we wanted to play some rounds of cards - you’re welcome to join us if you want to.” 

Eunsang knew the older was being sincere - he wouldn’t be offering just out of politeness. But still, Eunsang felt a bit like he would be intruding something meant to be more private. He didn’t know the details of what had transpired but he knew that after the Yule Ball, Yena and Yunseong had been a lot closer and kept in close contact over break. Eunsang had to admit they fit each other well: both were lively and smart, with Yena being a bit more forward than Yunseong at times. But he had witnessed some of their bantering over lunch and dinner in the past week - they had really hit it off. 

Easy conversation had made way for barely concealed flirtations - only to be interrupted by a sudden match of name calling. All in the span of just a few minutes. Eunsang had felt slightly dizzy at times from the rapid crossfire. But they had never excluded the rest deliberately, always returning into the group discussion or including the people around them. One time, Eunbi had loudly reprimanded Yena for being too boisterous, only for the girl pull a face at the headgirl when she looked away. The grimace she had managed had looked so weird that Yunseong had promptly choked on his tea and Wooseok had almost suffocated at the sight from trying not to laugh too loud. A glorious spectacle. 

But still - this was a private meeting. In an open space but nonetheless for them two. Plus, Yena didn’t even know yet that Eunsang would possibly be there. Hefelt a bit torn in his decision and it must have shown on his face because Yunseong called his name softly. The younger looked at him, realising he still had to answer. 

“You’re not intruding if you’re thinking about that,” the older said. “Yena said she wanted to discuss something with some friends anyway, and she’s coming here straight from the library so there’s probably gonna be more people anyway.” 

Eunsang nodded slowly, relief once more flooding him. Yunseong grinned. 

“And even if there weren’t,” he continued and turned back around, “Yena told me, she adores you. She thinks you’re cute.” 

The teasing tone had returned to Yunseong’s voice and Eunsang spluttered at the revelation. But the older Ravenclaw ignored him and started pulling his dress shirt and school sweater over his head. 

“Let me just change into something comfy real quick!” came the muffled voice from within the bundle and Eunsang chuckled at the sight. Yunseong had apparently been too lazy to open the top buttons and now had his shirt stuck somewhere around his ears, arms high in the air and a clothes bundles on his head, obscuring his sight. 

“Oh what the? How did I….?” Eunsang heard him mutter from within and he stepped forward to rescue Yunseong when the older succeeded in pulling it off. Gasping, he turned to Eunsang. 

“I almost died!” he announced dramatically and the younger snorted. But something caught his attention. Now, that Yunseong was turned slightly towards him, the light of the lamp on his bedside table illuminated the right side that was facing Eunsang. The younger squinted a bit but it wasn’t a trick of the light what he was seeing. 

Across the older boy’s waist there was a large scar. It circled from the centre of his stomach, slightly above his navel, around his side almost all the way to his spine. The scar tissue was slightly raised and slightly pink compared to the surrounding skin - it must have been a deep wound to have healed like this even if magic was used. Eunsang had never seen it before - he had never seen Yunseong shirtless before after all. 

Yunseong hadn’t noticed his gaze, leaning down to grab a shirt from his clothes and pulling it over his head, grabbing a black cardigan from a chair and turning around. 

“Alrighty, all done,” he said. “Shall we …. Eunsang?” 

The last word became questioning, Eunsang’s eyes shot up to meet his. There must have been worry showing on his face. Yunseong tilted his head, eyebrows slightly drawn together. 

“Everything alright?” he asked and Eunsang hurriedly nodded. But the question remained. 

“Hyung,” he started slowly and Yunseong became very still. “Where… did you get that scar from? The one on your side?” 

It was quiet for a second, and Eunsang would have sworn the older stiffened for a second, eyes widening, but then he smiled and the impression vanished like a bad dream. He placed a hand on his side where Eunsang now knew the scar was. 

“You mean this one?” he asked and the younger nodded. Yunseong waved it off, heading for the door. 

“It was when I was a child - I hardly remember! It looks worse than it was, actually. We didn’t have it treated by a magician - my dad was still somewhat suspicious of magic back then - and it just healed a bit bumpy.”

Eunsang nodded as Yunseong stopped in front of him, grabbing the door handle. 

“It just looked really bad,” he said quietly but Yunseong shook his head with a reassuring smile. 

“It wasn’t nearly as bad as you’d think,” he said. “I just never had it ‘cleaned up’ - never saw the use in it. Plus, I thought I looked like a pirate as a kid. But don’t worry - it’s all in the past.”

He pulled the door open and stepped into the hallway, gesturing for Eunsang to follow and pulled the door shut behind him. Shrugging on his cardigan, he looked at the younger again. 

“You got scars too, right? There’s one on your upper arm.” 

Eunsang nodded. 

“Our family owl once landed on me when I was maybe four and I got startled,” he told the older as they headed for the common room. “I tried to shrug her off, she held on by instinct and her claws were pretty sharp.” 

Yunseong winced. 

“Ouch,” he said, but Eunsang waved it off.

“I hardly remember either,” he said with a grin. “But my mum still gets nervous sometimes when Freya tries to land on me - she’s ready to jump in and protect me.” 

Yunseong laughed as they stepped in the common room, looking around. 

“Sounds like getting the mail is a heart attack inducing thought for your mother,” he teased and Eunsang chuckled in agreement. 

“Yup,” he said and pointed over to a sofa near the fireplace where he had spotted a familiar girl. 

“There she is,” he guided Yunseong who followed his line of sight. The older’s face lit up when he caught side of the Hufflepuff girl just as she looked up and waved. Eunsang once again doubted if he should really come along, but before he could decide on anything, Yunseong grabbed his forearm and pulled him along, weaving through the packed Common Room and stopping in front of the sofa. 

“Hey,” Yena greeted them easily with Nako, a seventh year Ravenclaw and Japanese exchange student pressed into her side. The small japanese girl looked up and squinted a bit. 

“Eunsang,” the petite girl asked accusingly, “did you grow again?” 

Yunseong snorted beside him which turned into a wheeze while the younger boy felt somewhat out of his debt. He had talked to Nako a few times, and she appeared to be very kind and affectionate - maybe he had awakened some kind of motherly instinct. A small hand snuck around his wrist and pulled him onto the sofa in one quick movement and he barely managed to catch himself in the cushion when Yena threw an arm around his neck affectionately. She definitely wasn’t shy, Eunsang had to admit. 

“But he _ is _adorable,” she cooed, contradicting the teasing glint in her eyes. Yunseong let out a squawk and Eunsang looked up, realising the sofa was completely occupied with no more space left now that Yena had pulled him in and the older boy was left standing in front of the sofa. 

“What about me?” the sixth year pouted and Yena snorted. 

“You’re adorable too,” she said sarcastically but her tone was just a bit too soft to be convincing. Eunsang watched as her eyes lit up and how Yunseong mirrored the expression - not outright obvious but noticeable for anyone, who knew what to look for. 

He glanced over at Nako, who was watching the spectacle with barely hidden amusement and an expression that said she knew more. Her eyes flitted over at Eunsang, smiling sympathetically at his still rather hunched position (Yena seemed to have forgotten that she was still holding onto him) and winked before she looked back up. 

“I can pull you into my lap, Hwang Yunseong!” she announced and already stretched out a hand to grab him but Yunseong took a hurried step away. Nako fake-pouted at him. 

“I thought you wanted to sit with us!” she whined and Yena giggled, while Yunseong waved her off frantically. 

“No, no, no,” he said hurriedly, “I’m just way too heavy for you.” 

He let himself drop onto the floor in front of them, scooting closer with his eyes fixed on Yena again. Eunsang wiggled a bit and the Hufflepuff girl let him go, shooting him an apologetic look and placing a hand on his arm, but Eunsang smiled at her. 

“Don’t worry,” he said and once again made eye contact with Nako. He had only gotten to know the older girl as a sweet and caring person, but he had never encountered this mischievous side. She winked at him one more time and then spoke with a saccharine voice. 

“Yes, of course,” she proclaimed. “I’m sure it was that and had nothing to do with the fact that a certain someone already had her hands full with Eunsang.” 

The speed at which both Yena and Yunseong started turning red was somewhere between worrying and amazing. Eunsang watched in amusement as both looked at Nako in utter surprise and immediately looked away when their eyes met after. 

He chuckled lightly. Seemed like those two were just a matter of time. Time, and maybe some well-meaning teasing from their friends. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and welcome back! We have only started the year, but we have to announce that we will probably be taking a short hiatus (1month or so) or upload irregularly in that time, depending on free time and motivation. Exam season is starting soon for both of us and we have quite a lot of work piled up. As uni has priority for us and we want to avoid uploading rushed, short or boring chapters we would rather do it this way. 
> 
> But please don't worry or think we're just gonna disappear! We have way more planned out and it just needs to be finalised and written - and we want to finish this. Additionally, we have some oneshots in planning and work. So please be patient with us for the next few weeks and we hope you will still find future chapters enjoyable - and always feel free to message us if you have questions, requests or just want to chat!
> 
> For all of you who are starting into exam season as well, we wish you a lot of luck and enough sleep for it! For everyone else, good luck too and have an enjoyable start into the New Year!!


	23. So here we are with a polite milk jug and a giant cat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here we are again after 35678362 years with a chapter!  
Now, just as a warning beforehand: Please don't expect too regular updates for now, but we will continue and we're already working on the next chapter! So please bear with us.  
Secondly, what happens in this chapter was not the writer's idea, but our moodboard designer's - and it was a great idea! But just as a little warning for you guys! 
> 
> So long, and enjoy!

If anyone thought Sejin was being dramatic, then the Ravenclaw would have to wholeheartedly agree. Despairing over being left alone? Check. Contemplating the importance of once existence in the face of everything? Check. Missing someone who had agreed to meet up and was running late? Check. At least he was doing it quietly. 

In fact, Sejin was seated in the Great Hall, hunched over himself and eyes focussed on the slow swirls of his tea. The brown liquid in the cup was slowly flowing in circles from when he stirred it a minute or two ago. It held no answers for him, however. Everything about his position was telling already, he thought. Seated there at the Ravenclaw table by himself, a cup of tea and a plate with a few biscuits on the table and a matching set opposite of him - the seat was empty though. The telltale sign of someone waiting or being stood up. 

So yes. Sejin wasn’t being stood up exactly. He was waiting, but at first he had thought it was the former. He sighed and took his cup, swirling the tea in it around and inhaling the calming scent. Earl Grey really was a treasure. If someone asked him, he would vote for it to be added as a world heritage. 

He had also said so on an extraordinarily tired afternoon when he had been sitting in the Great Hall, his cup of tea in front of him and a shy boy in the opposite seat. It had been one of his first tea meetings with Tony, and the boy was barely speaking. Sejin had been anxious the first few times himself - not out of emotional distress for himself, but because he feared that the younger was spending time with him out of a feeling of obligation instead of free will. 

The boy’s first floundering had been both amusing and slightly offensive, but Sejin had gotten over it quickly. Tony, however, seemed to have been traumatised from it with the way he avoided speaking to him. He had felt his eyes on him in the library, but that was the closest to any interaction they had had for weeks on end since their first meeting. So the older boy had been rather surprised when a soft and slightly shaky voice with an American accent had sounded in front of him one afternoon. 

Tony had looked rather nervous - pink cheeks, hands wringing the hem of his sweater and eyes flitting around, never staying on anything for longer than a moment. 

“Excuse me?” he had said and Sejin had patiently waited for him to continue. Rushing would only bring the poor boy more distress. 

“I just… I was… Is there…” With every unfinished sentence his face turned redder, more distressed and nervous, his hands more nervously clenched, his voice more insecure. Sejin decided to take mercy on him. 

“Would you like to have a cup of tea with me?” he had asked and gestured at the empty seat in front of him. Tony had nodded and sat down - well, at least he had tried to, but stumbled and almost fell off the chair again. Only grabbing for the table and holding on for dear life held him on the seat, body leaned sideways and face only half visible and by now bright red. Sejin was getting a bit worried for his blood pressure. 

Tony pulled himself upright again and cleared his throat. He looked close to tears, Sejin noticed. Poor boy. The younger Hufflepuff drew in a deep breath and looked up at the Ravenclaw, determination glinting in his eyes. Oho? Sejin put down his cup and kept his eyes fixed on the boy. This seemed important to him. 

“I wanted to apologise,” Tony announced and the older blinked. Apologise? What for? 

“I didn’t intend to but I came off as rude and mixed up my words, and that was unwarranted and I really don’t think you’re bad at introductions, I was just so nervous and then I avoided you because I felt bad and….” 

Everything had come out as one long rambled sentence, and the younger only stopped to breathe in deeply. Sejin had started smiling, he couldn’t help himself and when the short pause allowed him to, he held up a hand, stopping Tony in his frantic rambling. 

“It’s alright,” he said. “I admit I was a bit stumped at first, but really - it’s okay. I appreciate you apologising, though.” 

Tony nodded, his mouth still open and eyes wide. He seemed speechless - poor boy had probably been prepared for a harsh comment or angry answer. Sejin smiled and lowered his hand onto the table again. 

“I have a suggestion,” the prefect had continued. “How about we just start out anew? No awkward first encounters, accidental mix-ups or avoidance. Just completely new.”

Tony seemed stunned. 

“We start from zero?” he asked shyly, voice shaky. Sejin nodded. 

“From zero.” 

And from then on they had had tea together. The Ravenclaw had to admit, he really enjoyed these afternoons, especially since Tony had started opening up to him more and more. When the shyness had receded, his natural curiosity and sweetness had started to shine through even more and Sejin had to admit that getting to know the boy better had quickly enamoured him to his sweet demeanour. 

At one point he had even dared to ask the boy if he was meeting him out of a sense of obligation, but Tony had looked a bit stunned and shaken his head. 

“I… enjoy spending time with you, hyung,” he said, a small smile lighting up his features as he looked down on his cup of tea. His fingers were idly playing with the handle of the cup and Sejin almost forgot to listen when he looked at the display. 

“I apologised from a sense of obligation,” the boy had continued, voice quiet but not scared - just without any need for more volume. “I felt like I needed to at least do that. I couldn’t get you out of my head and also you seemed too nice to be just…” 

He sighed. 

“To be insulted and just essentially ghosted - it seemed wrong.” 

Sejin chuckled. 

“How awfully heroic,” he teased the younger and Tony giggled slightly. 

“Yeah, I’m dramatic,” he agreed with the older. “Must be my American blood.” 

A teasing tone had snuck into the younger’s voice as he spoke and he looked up at Sejin through his lashes. The older had been amazed at the sudden bursts of confidence the younger had, randomly strewn into their conversations, moments that seemed comfortable, almost like he was flirting at times. Sejin was fascinated every single time. And he had to admit to himself - and to a prodding Wooseok, one time, involuntarily, late at night - that his heart had picked up its pace whenever the younger was doing something like this. 

Now, Sejin wasn’t one to fall in love easily. He dished out affections easily, true. But only platonic. Being a prefect, open and generally liked by people helped make him a sociable person, and he had always felt protective and affectionate towards those he called his friends. And especially when someone was placed in his care, he got easily attached. No surprises there then. 

Tony, however, was a different story. He was not only completely unfamiliar, but also awfully shy and not the usual version of the two aforementioned characteristics. Normally, Sejin would deal with that combo only in the context of first years. But here was someone he couldn’t just coddle, he had to coax. And he had to do so on another level. He had to let Tony decide on his own, and not get too close from the beginning. 

The boy was older than small eleven-year olds that latched onto him like a baby koala until they started exploring their tree on their own. No, Tony was more like a shy deer, placed in an unfamiliar surrounding with way too many influences around it - and if Sejin just went up to him too quickly, he would only have him shy away. 

So concluding his rather strange way of thinking about the situation at hand: Because Sejin and Tony had not developed their friendship on the basis of Tony being more or less dependent and emotionally attached to Sejin, they had gotten to know each other differently. Tony had his own ‘safety precautions’ to fall back on if he should shy away from the older after all. And Sejin hadn’t exactly developed a motherly instinct over the other from their lack of direct interaction. 

Ignore the paper squirrels for his sake. 

So, Sejin concluded he could be fairly certain that he could try to look at the current emotions swirling around his head like the tea in his cup in a rational manner. Definitely. Indisputably.

Who was he trying to kid?

If he was being honest, he was just looking for an excuse. Though, excuse was the wrong term. He was looking for a justification. And the one he found didn’t even make sense, not even to him - the one who conjured it up!

He hung his head and let out a small sigh. 

Fact was: He had started falling for the cute exchange student. Sejin wasn’t sure when he had started actually noticing it, but he was pretty sure that he had at least developed a puppy crush on their first meeting. He had chalked up his quick heart rate to excitement of taking care of an older kid instead of confused third years and scared first years that got lost. Or a seventh year that would be most comfortable just getting a short introduction and then exploring on their own. But he was drifting off again. 

Basically, his first thought at seeing Tony was: He is cute. His second was: He’s tall. His third: probably something like a choked off squeal when the other had blushed after greeting him. Okay. There he went. The initial affection had stewed for a few weeks until they had started having tea together. Then, several planned and unplanned meet-ups had occurred, usually for gatherings with their friend group. And then they had spent the whole evening together at Yule Ball. 

That had surprised Sejin the most if he was being honest. They had met up there incidentally, and the younger had struck up a shy conversation. But any awkwardness had been diminished by the appearance of their friends from all houses - and afterwards, they had kept the conversation going. Actually, Sejin hadn’t even wanted to end it. When Jungmo had sent them off to get to bed, Tony had walked him back to the Ravenclaw tower, despite Sejin's protests. They had had a small discussion at the foot of the grand staircase. 

Then Tony had grabbed his wrist and pulled him up the stairs. It felt like a tiny jolt of electricity that went up Sejin’s wrist at that moment and all of his higher brain functions had abandoned ship. He had stumbled after the younger boy as if he had been in a daze, completely focused on the gentle warmth encircling his wrist and the irrefutable heat that was burning on his cheeks. But Tony hadn’t even turned around until they had reached the top of the staircase, and even then he just threw a short glance over his shoulder to make sure the older was alright. 

Sejin had felt his heart jolt when they made eye contact and he hadn’t been sure if he had just been imagining that twinkle in the younger boy’s eyes. But before he could say anything, Tony had pulled him along again, gaze focused on the hallway with only a few students still lingering about. Their presence had Sejin sober up a bit and he stepped up so he was walking next to Tony instead of behind him. Still, he felt incredibly small - he barely reached up to the younger boy’s shoulders and even though he was now obviously keeping up and needed no more convincing to just let the younger take him to his common room, Tony did not let go. 

Instead, he threw a short glance at Sejin again, and this time the older was sure he wasn’t imagining the slight blush painting his features. Without a word, the light grip around his wrist loosened but instead of disappearing, the hand slid further down across his palm and grabbing his hand instead. Long fingers enveloped his smaller hands and the younger lowered their lifted arms so they were swinging between them. The wide sleeves of their cloaks slid down to hide their joined hands as they continued walking. 

A slight movement against his hand jostled Sejin in surprise and the spoon he had been holding loosely fell into his cup of tea as he flinched. The small squirrel made of light blue paper was hopping around the table, stopping now and again to look up. It must have jumped on his arm as he was waiting. 

He smiled at the tiny paper animal, smaller than the palm of his hand. It had reappeared about 20 minutes ago, returning successfully from the quest he had sent it on in what Sejin considered to be almost record time. When Tony hadn’t appeared after his last class, Sejin had grown somewhat uneasy - Tony had been the one to request for them to meet up today. So to avoid missing the other if he left the Great Hall, he had sent this little fellow to look for the Hufflepuff with a little message inside. 

_ “When are you coming?” _

He had sent the little animal off and it had returned after just 10 minutes (quicker than expected but still a lifetime in Sejin’s humble opinion) with a hastily scribbled message. 

_ “Professor Yoon asked me to help with the Wampus cat after class. I’ll be late, but I will come! I’m sorry….” _

Sejin had been relieved. At least Tony had neither forgotten nor gotten lost in the castle (again). And it made sense. The boy wasn’t extraordinarily talented regarding magical creatures, he wasn’t even taking the course but the Wampus Cat that had somehow decided to settle in the Forbidden Forest trusted him. Though that had almost ended in tears the first time. At least for some. 

.oO°Oo.

Sejin remembered when he had been called to pick students up from their teacher’s cot at the edge of the forest. It had been an odd request, considering classes had ended a while ago so it couldn’t be a student that got hurt by a creature - and neither was he asked to escort them to their house teachers. Only to bring them to their respective common rooms again. 

When he had arrived, the unusual side of Golden Chemi looking somewhat shaken had surprised him just as much as the ghostly pale figure of Tony who was - talking to a giant cat? Sejin had shaken his head in disbelief as he came closer. He could make out all the people there on a shorter distance: Professors Yoon and Im, unsurprisingly, as well as the three aforementioned boys. And a cat. A six-legged giant cat. That was purring slightly as Tony spoke to it. What was going on?

Professor Im stepped up to greet him, voice hushed and with an underlying anxiety - or was it excitement. 

“Thank you for coming, Sejin,” she said with a smile and stretched out her hand, beckoning the boy closer. He hadn’t even noticed how his steps had slowed down and followed her invitation, coming closer but keeping his voice hushed. 

“What’s going on?” he asked in confusion. “Is anyone hurt?” 

Professor Im just shook her head and opened her mouth to reply when Tony’s voice sounded across the grass. His tone was stable enough, slightly nervous but not scared. 

“You can come closer now.” 

Sejin looked at Professor Im, who in turn looked at Professor Yoon. But said man just raised an amused eyebrow and nodded his head at his fellow teacher. 

“Go,” he said. “I know you wanted to meet it.” 

Professor Im seemed convinced and stepped forward, slowly and cautious but not scared. She quickly reached Tony, who turned to look at her and then back at the cat. 

“May I approach?” Professor Im said in a clear voice with her eyes directed at the cat. The creature had turned its head from Tony to her and for the first time, Sejin really took it in. It was big, bigger than he had first expected - almost as big as a Puma. But it seemed more delicate in the way it’s body was curved, probably to make room for the additional pair of legs. The sand coloured fur seemed matte, with some darker streaks around the ears and eyes. But the golden eyes were intelligent and calculating. Sejin had no doubt that this creature knew exactly what was going on and was reading them at this very moment. 

Up until now it had been sitting in front of Tony who was crouched in the grass surrounding them. But now it got to its feet, towering over the boy by almost a head. Said Hufflepuff didn’t seem scared at all however - instead he appeared to be more at ease than ever. Sejin’s eyes swerved to Donghyun and Yunseong, who stood nearby, but their postures were rigid. 

Professor Im stepped closer, still slowly and her eyes fixed on the giant cat until she was about a foot away from it. Then she stopped, waiting it seemed. Silence surrounded them, with only the wind in the trees audible. Sejin held his breath. The cat’s eyes were still fixed on Professor Im, unmoving and sharp. Then, the muscles under its skin rippled and - it went to stand on its hind legs. Sejin froze completely. The creature seemed gigantic in front of Professor Im, but the woman stood unmoving, hair whipping in the breeze and posture relaxed. Her eyes never left the cat. 

And suddenly it was as if a spell was broken. The cat let itself drop onto its other legs again and turned around, not sparing another look at the Professor. Instead, it stepped towards Tony once more, brushing its side against the still seated boy before it headed towards the edge of the forest. None of them dared to move as it went without a sound. When it reached the edge, it turned around again. 

“You can follow it.” 

Tony’s voice cut through the silence and all heads turned to him as the boy spoke to the still woman next to him. 

“It accepted you as unthreatening, but it will only interact on its own territory. So either you follow now or you wait if it comes back.” 

Professor Yoon was the first to speak.

“Nayoung, what do you think....”

“I’ll go,” she interrupted him. “This might be my only chance. I’ll go.” 

Professor Yoon did not protest, but Sejin was sure that when he looked at the man he saw worry on his features. Mostly hidden but still there. 

“Alright,” he complied. “Send the signal if you need anything, alright?” 

Professor Im looked at him over her shoulder. A smile was painted onto her features and her eyes glinted in what Sejin figured was barely concealed excitement. 

“Don’t worry,” she replied, voice confident and unwavering. Then she turned back and took a deep breath. And without another word she followed the cat that was still waiting at the edge of the trees. As she was close enough to almost touch it, the creature turned and headed into the thicket that was growing between the trees as Professor Im followed. 

“Okay,” the voice of their Professor sounded again and shook all four boy out of their trance. There was a slight underlying worry, carefully concealed behind a mask of confidence and optimism. “You should head back into the castle. I have to inform the ministry and the principal - plus keep an eye out for signals. Incredible, truly incredible….”

He turned to look at Tony who was just getting to his feet, brushing off some grass. His movement seemed a bit sluggish, as if he was awakening from a trance - a stark contrast to Professor Yoon who seemed to vibrate with energy. 

“We have you to thank, my boy,” he added with a nod at the Hufflepuff boy and the gratefulness in his voice was so genuine Sejin couldn’t help but smile. 

“Sejin, take care of them would you?” the man addressed the Ravenclaw now and the boy almost flinched in surprise. With everything happening around him, he had almost forgotten why he was here. 

“Y-yes sir,” he stuttered out, a slight heat palpable on his neck. “I’ll make sure they get back safely.” 

“Yes, you do that, thank you, Sejin,” their teacher mumbled but his thoughts seemed to be somewhere else already, his hands waving as if trying to shoo the three boys closest to him to the prefect. A thought struck the Ravenclaw suddenly as Yunseong and Donghyun came closer to him and with Donghyun guiding a still quiet Tony. 

“Sir?” he asked, his hands stretched out as a sign to gather around him. “Should we keep this to ourselves? To avoid anyone getting too curious and potentially…” he shot a short glance at the infamous duo, “wandering off and going after the… cat?”

The short flash of disappointment in Yunseong’s eyes along with the pout Donghyun sported was enough to assure him that he had made the right call here. Professor Yoon too seemed somewhat more aware at his words and a mischievous twinkle appeared in his eyes. 

“Please do,” he said. “If everything goes as planned, we are going to announce something regarding the… situation at dinner today, but it would be good if we don’t have _ anyone _ wandering off till then, alright?”

“Yes sir,” several voices mumbled, some laced with disappointment. Sejin shook his head slightly and looked at the three boys gathered around him. Had they always been this tall? He must be standing on lower ground than them. 

“Alrighty then,” he said in a honeyed voice, sweet enough to be a threat to not go behind his back later. “Back we go.”

And so they turned back and made their way up the slippery grass slope to the castle. The initial silence that surrounded their departure did not hold for long as Donghyun and Yunseong started whispering to each other. Sejin decided to just let them be (even if they were plotting something) and turned to the American boy beside him. 

Tony looked paler, paler than usual - but surprisingly not scared. More like he was deep in thought and sad, in a way. He dragged his feet a bit as if it was hard to walk and his mind seemed many miles away. 

“Are you okay?” he eventually asked. The younger hadn’t reacted to being looked at when he usually blushed in misguided self-consciousness. This time, however, he only glanced over at Sejin. 

“It reminded me of home,” he answered instead. “Of Ilvermorny.” 

Sejin raised an eyebrow in question, a silent plea to elaborate. 

“That cat-” he nodded in the direction of the forest, “-is a Wampus cat.”

“Wait,” Sejin interjected with furrowed eyebrows. “Isn’t that…?”

“...one of the houses of Ilvermorney? Yes, it is.” 

“Is it your house?” he asked. It would explain the nostalgia. But Tony shook his head with a smile. 

“Nope,” he replied. “I’m Pukwudgie. It’s interesting though…” 

His gaze wandered back to the forest.

“Pukwudgies though… The founding history of my school is centred around a few wizards, and the wife of one of them was friends with a Pukwudgie she called William. Pukwudgies usually don’t interact with humans, but she saved his life and he declared himself indebted to her. And so as they travelled, he introduced her to Wampus cats, among others. He was the one making the interaction with them possible and…”

His voice grew smaller towards the end and he averted his eyes to the floor, as if he was ashamed of what he was to say. Sejin smiled.

“You feel a bit as if you continue your house’s legacy?” he asked. “By introducing us to the Wampus cat?” The other nodded shyly and the Ravenclaw returned it with as much honesty as he could. 

“That’s a justified sentiment. How did you manage to get it to come out though?” 

Tony shook his head, hands raised in defence.

“I didn’t,” he claimed defensively. “I couldn’t even. Actually…” he drifted off again. “Actually it shouldn’t even be here.”

He turned back to Sejin. 

“Wampus cats are native to North America, and usually just found there. And even if you manage to encounter one, it shouldn’t really trust you unless…”

“Unless?”

Suddenly, realisation sparked in the younger boy’s eyes and he turned to Sejin, stopping in his tracks. 

“Of course!” he whispered excitedly. “That explains it all!”

“What explains it?” 

The more excited the younger became, the more confused Sejin got. But he had to admit that the sight was undeniably endearing. The boy’s eyes were glistening and he seemed to almost burst with excitement, thrumming with energy. It was such a stark contrast to his somber state just moments ago. 

“It’s from around the Appalachians!” he proclaimed as if it would explain everything. But clarity still evaded the older Ravenclaw. He cocked his head to the side in question. Tony studied his featured for a moment. 

“Pukwudgie students are taught to perceive nature like their name bearers,” he explained, tongue almost stumbling over his own words. “So we are usually brought into contact with as many creatures as possible - if they are willing to see us of course. We go into the Appalachians with a guide for that!”

“So you know the cat?” Sejin asked carefully. It was the only explanation he could think of but Tony shook his head and grabbed the older’s hands in his excitement. 

“It doesn’t need to know me. They are highly intelligent and they can practise legilimency with just their eyes - and hypnosis if necessary - and I felt a bit like I was walking on clouds even before it came out of the woods - so it must have accessed my mind and figured that neither I nor the people around me would be a threat and only because of that it let Professor Im approach!”

The boy didn’t even breathe as the words poured out of him and he stepped closer to Sejin, only their clasped hands keeping about a hand’s width between them. 

“Sounds plausible,” Donghyun’s voice sounded from beside them. “You seemed a bit out of it and you didn’t even hesitate to approach the cat when it stepped out. In fact, you didn’t even react to us.”

Sejin looked from the duo beside them back to the excited boy in front of him who was nodding along to Donghyun’s words. 

“So,” Sejin started slowly, “it looked into your memories, recognised you as a Pukwudgie and a friend, including the ones around you?” 

Tony nodded. Sejin raised his eyebrows, a smile stretching over his lips. 

“You know that this is technically illegal?”

Donghyun snorted. 

“You know that saying that to a cat is as effective as telling a dragon that pyromaniac tendencies can be penalised?” Yunseong asked in an amused voice. Sejin turned to grin at them. 

“By the way,” Donghyun added, “Should we leave you two alone? We can head off, you know?”

There was a teasing lilt in his voice and his eyes were focussed not on their faces - and instead on their still joined hands. Tony seemed to follow his allusion at the same time as Sejin did and both quickly let go of the other. A familiar red blush rose on Tony’s cheeks. 

“Nope, we’re fine,” Sejin said as nonchalantly as he could. “And I have to make sure you two-” he glared at the duo in fake intimidation “-actually end up where you are supposed to be. So shoo, little ones, off we go to the castle.” 

With some disappointed grumbling the boys turned around and took off and Sejin shook his head for a moment before following. 

“You calling us little is a bit ironic, isn’t it, hyung?” Tony asked beside him with the sweetest smile and a baffling burst of confidence that Sejin was left with his mouth agape and his wits on holiday for a moment. It was enough time for the younger to giggle and then take off in quick steps, catching up to his friends in a sprint while Sejin turned to follow - not as fast in a desperate attempt to save at least some of his dignity. But he couldn’t deny that the redness of his cheeks wasn’t all due to righteous indignation.

.oO°Oo.

“....and then she decided she only wanted to be approached in the pumpkin field but it was incredibly slippery and the little fairies kept playing with my robe so I spent most of the time not trying to slip. But I’m here now, sorry you had to wait.” 

Sejin’s head snapped up to the voice in front of him and - low and behold! - there was a slightly wet and mud sprinkled boy in front of him trying to take off his very muddy robe. He stopped in his movements and looked up worriedly. 

“Are you mad at me?” he asked in a quiet tone and Sejin realised with a start that he had only stared at the boy up till now without even greeting him. He shook his head and smiled. 

“No, don’t worry,” he replied soothingly. “I was just caught up in my thoughts, I’m not mad. After all,” he pointed at the small squirrel still hopping around the table, “you told me you’d be late.” 

Relief painted the younger boy’s features and he gingerly placed his robe on the back of his chair before sitting down with a smile. He seemed happy, content and not nervous. Sejin revelled in the realisation that this had become normalcy. Both of them had spent the Christmas break at Hogwarts - Tony because it was too complicated to go home and his family was planning on travelling too and Sejin because at home he would’ve been more lonely than in Hogwarts. His parents were at work, his father as a high ranking surgeon and his mother abroad as an ambassador. He had taken to spend Christmas in Hogwarts. At least here, there was always someone there. It had become home more than the house in London. 

They had spent most of the days together, sometimes playing chess or exploding snap, sometimes chatting, and sometimes just quietly reading on a sofa. It had been relaxing, both in the sense of a well-deserved break from school (despite the homework) and a relaxation in their relationship. Tony had become less jittery around him and more comfortable with sharing things about himself. And Sejin had thoroughly enjoyed it.

He felt calm in the younger boy’s presence, safe and comfortable and it was just so easy to open up to him. He was by no means shy, but still. With Tony, it was different. And he had quickly figured out that his initial crush had developed into something deeper. And with all the indices pointing to it, he had started hoping that the younger harboured some feelings for him too.

“I wanted to ask, hyung,” the tall boy inquired with a small smile, eyes fixed onto the animal now sniffing his fingers. It was lifelike, even as a paper imitation of the real squirrel. “How do you do this? And how does it know how to lead me somewhere in the library?” 

Sejin smiled. 

“It’s a spell I discovered in fifth year,” he started. “But it’s not as simple as it seems - it’s not intelligent and just knows what to do. There are actually different versions of an origami charm.” 

Tony looked at him, eyes alight with interest. 

“Different version?” he asked and the older nodded. 

“Yup,” he replied. “Mostly, they are used for communication, like this one. You send it out with a message, it finds the person, they reply and it comes back. But it doesn’t find the person because of a layout.”

He pulled out his wand and another small piece of paper, tapping it slightly with his wand. It had been the first spell he had mastered as a silent spell back then, and he still felt proud of it. The paper folded into a small cat that looked around and then curled up on itself. Only the twitching paper tail made it seem alive. Tony’s eyes seemed transfixed. 

“This cat,” Sejin said with a smile, “is the animal I use to contact Wooseok. And it only works for him, with the way I use the spell.” 

The question in the brown eyes watching him became even more clear. He chuckled. 

“You need to imprint - for a lack of better words - the origami creature on a certain magical signature. You can do it specifically for some spells, or for specific people. And when you do, you have to specify the magic signature. That’s why it’s easier to use a certain specified spell for one person and assign them an animal. If I tried to send you a cat, I would first have to reverse the signature connection and then reassign yours. It isn’t too complicated, but it takes a few minutes. So, I decide on one animal I use for someone. Not that I use them for many.” 

Tony nodded, mulling over his words with a thoughtful expression. 

“And you assigned me the squirrel, so when you sent it off, it followed my magical signature…” he said and Sejin nodded. The boy looked up. “And they probably are designed to detect how old a signature path is so they follow the newest instead of going every way until they find the person.” 

Sejin nodded, pride at the younger’s deduction welling up in him. 

“Correct,” he confirmed. “Any ideas on how it can lead you in the library though?”

Tony thought about it for a moment, his fingers playing with the squirrels asit jumped between the digits. Sejin smiled at the cute display and tapped his wand slightly against Tony’s cup that filled with tea, steam rising from the brown liquid. A small milk jug came waddling and inclined it’s spout to pour some milk into the tea. Sejin gently stroked a finger along it’s side and it waddled back to the sugar where it became unmoving again. 

“A mapping spell?” Tony’s question brought him out of his admiration for squirrels, milk jugs and long slim fingers. He shook his head. 

“Good idea,” he admitted, “but too complicated for everyday use. Especially with a magic hall and constantly moving shelves. No, the answer is much easier.”

He gestured at the squirrel. 

“This one couldn’t guide you around, unless you ask it to go to a place it had been to before. So somewhere on the path it took to find you and get back here, unless I specify the spell with a certain location and directions there.” 

Comprehension bloomed on Tony’s face. 

“So,” he continued eagerly, “it would have to be familiar with the whole layout of the library because it has been there and knows how the shelves move enough to find its way.” 

Sejin nodded and lifted his tea cup to his mouth, taking a sip. The hot liquid felt soothing.

“And what would that mean for your squirrel?” he inquired of the younger, the tea cup still in front of his mouth. Tony studied the animal for another second before his eyes widened. 

“It’s always the same squirrel,” he exclaimed. “Always the same magic infused piece of parchment!” 

Sejin smiled at him over the rim of his tea cup and nodded. 

“Bullseye,” he confirmed. The younger looked down with a smile and grabbed the handle of his own cup, carefully bringing it to his lips and blowing on the steaming liquid. His eyes met Sejin again. 

“Do you have others?” he asked curiously. “Like my squirrel and Wooseok’s cat?”

The older chuckled at the eager tone and put his drink back down, grabbing his wand. 

“I do,” he confirmed with a cheeky smile, “but you will have to guess who they stand for.”

Tony nodded eagerly and leaned forward, his eyes glinting at the challenge. Cute. He chuckled again and then tapped his wand against the cat. The parchment unfolded into a neat square again and then started folding again and again until a little dog was standing in place of the cat. Tony grinned immediately. 

“Seungwoo hyung,” he claimed and Sejin nodded, impressed. But considering Seungwoo really was the human version of an oversized labrador, it made sense. He tapped the small animal again and it became a small lion this time. The younger’s boy’s eyebrows furrowed and he leaned in a bit more to inspect the origami creature. 

“It’s probably a Gryffindor,” he stated and Sejin hummed in agreement. “Jinhyuk?” 

This time, the older shook his head with a small smile and Tony’s brows furrowed in contemplation. 

“If it’s a Gryffindor… and considering the others…” he mumbled before he looked up. “Kookheon?” 

“Correct,” Sejin confirmed again. “I’m impressed. Let’s see if you can continue for the last two.” 

The next was a small eagle and Tony grinned immediately. 

“You have prefects on speed dial,” he giggled. “Eunbi, I think?”

Sejin looked at him with wide eyes. Obvious, now that he thought about it, but still impressive considering he had not given any hints to the younger boy. He tapped the paper a last time and it became a little bat. 

This was harder, and Tony’s expression confirmed it. His eyebrows were furrowed again and he leaned closer, as if proximity to the animal would give him the answer. Sejin leaned forward too and held up his finger for the small creature to hold onto and cease its hectic wing flapping. Unmoving, it hung from his finger, its body wrapped in its wings. 

“Speak to me,” he whispered, not wanting to scare the other in his concentration. Tony’s eyes didn’t leave the bat as he replied. 

“We had someone from Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Gryffindor. So it’s probably someone from Slytherin. I doubt it’s Seungyoun or Hangyul, no Dohyon. And I have a feeling it’s not their seventh year prefect either - I forgot his name anyway.” 

Sejin nodded. 

“I’d actually be surprised if you guessed who it is that easily,” he admitted. “It’s Lee Hyeop, their fifth year prefect.” 

Tony looked at him in surprise and Sejin shrugged. 

“Your assumptions are right you know. And I don’t have anything against their prefects, Shihyun and Sunho are both nice. But Hyeop is a friend of mine, we became pretty close when he started here and sometimes I think he’s the only sane person there.” 

He chuckled at the thought. 

“You know, for all the scary stories on Slytherin and the admittedly bad past their house had, they are the most chaotic bunch in this school. But they’re a unit, and it’s probably the only house that will always stand together. It’s amazing in its own right, for sure. Amazing - but bat-shit crazy at the same time.”

Tony giggled at his words and Sejin looked up. He almost flinched - they were much closer than expected. They had both leaned over the table to inspect the small bat still dangling from Sejin’s finger, but now Tony’s eyes were turned into crescents as he laughed and Sejin’s - Sejin’s eyes were fixed on him. He felt almost entranced by the picture. It wasn’t even for some beam of light or other potentially romantic spectacle: quite the opposite, it was raining cats and dogs outside, the sky of the great Hall was dark and brooding with thunder grumbling occasionally and someone had left the large doors open and there was an uncomfortable draught. 

But still Sejin felt warmth well up inside of him at the sight and as Tony’s laugh calmed down the younger looked at him. Their eyes met, warm caramel with dark brown and he could feel a soft smile taking over his face. There was still amusement left on Tony’s face, lingering in the creases around his eyes and the corners of his lips. 

He wanted him to know, Sejin decided at that moment. Carefulness and restraint be damned. He didn’t even expect anything, but right now he felt as if the emotions inside him had built up the point when he couldn’t hold them back anymore. He was subconsciously aware of the small voice in a tiny part of his mind, stomping its foot and telling him that this was a bad idea and that he couldn’t just blurt this out right now - but he steadfastly ignored it. 

“I like you.”

It sounded more quiet than he expected, a bit breathy, but unwavering. Confusion filled the features in front of him and he could practically hear the gears in Tony’s head turn. 

“I like you,” he repeated, “and as more than a friend. I’ve fallen for you - have been for a while now and…”

He averted his eyes for a moment, the nervousness now reaching his higher brain functions. His hands fidgeted with his tea cup again, the small bat hanging from his collar after releasing his hand. He looked back at the younger. 

“I just want you to know,” he concluded, voice still clear but soft. He was proud it wasn’t shaking at all. “I’m not expecting you to answer, or to even reciprocate my feelings, but just know I…” 

He took a deep breath, closed his eyes for a moment and opened them again. 

“I saw you and it just… I had to say it.” 

There it was. Out in the open. Tony looked surprised, somewhat shocked, and interestingly enough: conflicted. His eyes wouldn’t rest on one place, they were flitting around, avoiding eye contact. Sejin knew he had terribly flustered the younger and there was red creeping up his neck already. He needed to give him time to form his reply. Sejin wrapped his hands around the cooling liquid in his cup and lifted it up again, breathing in the aroma in an attempt to calm his own nerves. It wouldn't help if he was as outwardly nervous as the boy he had just confessed to. 

Tony was biting his lip, his fingers weaving together and breaking apart without a break and the flush had now reached his cheeks. But Sejin gave him the time he needed, carefully avoiding staring at the boy to not put him on the spot. Instead staring at the open doorway in hopes it would magically close and stop the draught (his feet were freezing, he realised), observing the clouds whipping across the ceiling (the wind must have increased in strength) and noticing that two sugar mugs at the Gryffindor table were having a spoon fight. 

“I…” Tony’s voice had him re-focus his attention on the younger immediately. He looked at Sejin this time, but he kept on fidgeting and biting his lips. 

“I don’t… know what to say…” he whispered, voice shaky and his eyes wide. “I didn’t expect you to… and I… I just don’t know what…” 

Sejin placed his cup down. He hesitated for a moment, but then stretched his hand out and placed it on Tony’s across the table. He softly stroked his thumb over the skin there (somewhat dry and rough, probably from being outside and touching the Wampus cat). 

“It’s fine,” he said calmly and with a soft smile. “You don’t have to answer me in any way, now or later, if you don’t know how. It’s alright and I knew what I had to be prepared for when I just told you out of the blue.”

This was a straight up lie, he admitted to himself. He didn’t _ know _, didn’t even consider it because it had been such a spontaneous decision. But still, he couldn’t help but agree that this was what he should have been prepared for. And now he had to stand by his word. 

“But what…?” the Hufflepuff whispered, “what do you think will happen now?”

Sejin halted in both thoughts and movement. Good question. What was he expecting? He hadn’t gotten that far. He fell silent for a few moments before he spoke, contemplative and calm. 

“I am not expecting anything,” he admitted. “I am only hoping. And most of all I hope that this won’t change us too much.”

He looked up and found Tony’s eyes. 

“I’m not saying that this won’t change anything, because it obviously does. But I hope that despite it, we can stay friends and that you don’t feel the need to grow apart from me or feel pressured by it. I’d respect that, but I hope it’s not what is going to happen.” 

Tony nodded slowly, eyes still set on Sejin. 

“I’m sorry I don’t have an answer right now,” he whispered and Sejin shook his head. 

“It’s okay,” he insisted. “I’d rather you have a well thought out answer that you’re sure about than being insecure about what you are saying.” 

He leaned back and slowly pulled his hand away, grabbing his wand and tapping it against his tea cup to refill it. Steam rose from it once again. Tony, too, grabbed his cup but as if he decided differently he placed it down again and stood up. 

“I should get going,” he said, voice slightly shaky. His hands were erratic as he grabbed his robe from the chair before he looked back for a moment. 

“I’ll see you at dinner?” It probably wasn’t supposed to come out as a question but it did. Sejin wrestled down the sadness that had started rearing its head inside of him and smiled at the younger with a nod. Tony shakily returned the smile before he took a hesitant step sideways. He still seemed a bit torn for a moment but then he turned and headed for the door. His steps seemed to echo in the large room almost devoid of students as it was almost another hour until dinner.

Sejin looked after him as he passed chair by chair. But when he was almost at the end of the housetable, he stopped. Stopped dead in his tracks, as if there was an invisible wall in front of him. He stood there for almost half a minute, and Sejin had his eyes glued to the boy’s back. Then he moved. And instead of heading for the door, he turned around and headed back with decisive and quick steps, not stopping until he was in front of Sejin once again. The older’s eyes never left his face. 

“No,” the Hufflepuff proclaimed with determination. “I don’t have anything to do, and I was planning on spending time with you until dinner anyway. I won’t run away and start making it weird.” 

Sejin raised an eyebrow at the bold statement. 

“It’s okay if you want to go and sort your thoughts out,” he proposed gently and Tony fixed him in a stare. 

“I’ll leave if you want me too,” he stated and only a slight quiver in his voice showed that his supposed confidence was actually paper thin. But Sejin smiled at him. 

“I wouldn’t want you to leave.”

Tony smiled in reply, draped his robes back over the chair and sat down again. He was still nervous, it was radiating from him, but Sejin felt warmth well up in him at the attempt he was making. He knew that it would turn awkward at some point, every relationship could, but he was glad that it wasn’t the predisposition from the get go. 

“I enjoy our talks too much,” the younger shyly said and looked at Sejin with a warm smile. “So tell me, how was your day.” 

Sejin took his wand and tapped it against the side of Tony’s tea cup, making the porcelain cup refill with hot tea and gestured at the milk jug again, that promptly came waddling. 

“Oh, it was pretty normal except for that one potions incident,” he started out. 

.oO°Oo.

Tony would love to say that they managed to keep it as normal as possible. And surprisingly enough, they did a lot of the time. But sometimes it turned awkward, and he couldn’t even pinpoint what exactly made it happen. 

Sometimes it would be that he found Sejin looking at him with a smile that wasn’t that much different from how he had looked at him before - but now he knew what weight it held. Sometimes the older would approach his table to speak to someone, or scold someone and shoot him a quick smile and Tony could feel his ears trying to burst into flames. And sometimes, on days when he couldn’t really deal with his own emotions, when he was stressed or just plain not in the mood for people he would try to avoid the other. 

There had been one time in the library when he had (once again) been despairing over all the little details of the different magic law changes over the 20th century and the library door had opened to reveal Sejin coming in with Wooseok in tow. Their eyes had met for a second and Sejin had smiled, but Tony knew his own eyes had widened in shock and he had looked down quickly before he had pushed his chair back and walked into the rows of shelves. 

When he had returned, he saw that Sejin had Wooseok had sat down in a different corner of the working area, Sejin with his back to where Tony sat. Tony had sat back down and looked up just in time to see Wooseok say something and nod in his direction - but with his eyes directed at Sejin. But the older shook his head at Wooseok and apparently replied something that satisfied his friend for he had focussed on his work after. A few seconds later Sejin had looked over his shoulder and caught Tony's eyes, nodding with an understanding smile. He knew that he needed some space. 

“You should talk to him, you know.” 

Donghyun’s voice had him return to reality and he noticed that not only his robes felt a bit clammy, but that he was sitting in the wet grass beside the groundkeeper’s cottage and there was something heavy on his lap. And it wasn’t Donghyun, because that voice had sounded from beside him. 

He looked down and - to his surprise - saw the Wampus cat sprawled out in front of him with its large head placed onto his thighs. One of the bright yellow eyes opened and he got a certain feeling of approval that didn’t stem from himself shooting through him. Following the feeling, he lifted his hand and gently stroked the sandy fur. It was thicker than expected and slightly wet from the foliage of the woods and the grass, but radiated warmth. A deep purr ran through the large cat in his lap and he heard Donghyun gasp beside him. 

“Wow,” his friend breathed out. “I wouldn’t have thought she would let you touch her.” 

Tony nodded. 

“I’m surprised too,” he said, “but she allowed it - otherwise I wouldn’t have tried. It would have been an insult to her, petting her without asking.” 

Donghyun nodded in understanding. 

“Legit. But seriously, man, you should talk to him.” 

Tony looked at him this time, processing Donghyun’s words. He knew what the other was playing at, but he wasn’t sure how to react. If in doubt, play dumb, he decided.

“What do you mean?” Donghyun rolled his eyes at him. 

“You know exactly what I mean,” he retorted. “The thing is, you are avoiding him for some reason and I don’t get it because when I look at you two, he seems to be behaving normal and you are a panicked bundle of nerves.” 

Tony shrunk in on himself a bit and Donghyun coughed. 

“Well, sometimes you are. And sometimes, you two are completely normal again. But sometimes…” 

He looked at Tony, and there was a lot of seriousness on his face. 

“Sometimes, when you turn away he just looks so sad for a moment - and believe me, I have known Sejin for long enough to know the difference between disappointment and sadness in him. So you don’t have to explain to me what happened but talk to him at least.” 

Tony stayed quiet for a minute, and Donghyun didn’t press him to speak. Instead, his friend stretched out his legs on the grass and leaned onto his elbows, gazing up at the sky. The Wampus cat opened its eyes again and gazed at Tony. There was a deep wisdom and understanding in its eyes but it didn’t move or invade his mind. It just continued purring, as if it was calming him down. He sighed. 

“He confessed,” he said quietly. Donghyun turned his head at him lazily, eyes squinted from looking at the sky. 

“Hm?” he brought out. 

“He confessed to me,” Tony repeated. “A few weeks back, right after Christmas. In the Great Hall, when we were having tea. All of a sudden.” 

Donghyun sat up. 

“He did?” he asked, bafflement in his tone. Tony looked at him and nodded. 

“What did you say?” Donghyun asked, and it was obvious he tried to keep as much excitement as possible out of his voice. 

“I told him I don't know what to say,” Tony replied and looked back down. “And he said that it’s okay because I didn’t have to and he’d rather have me answer honestly and be sure of it but…” 

“But,” Donghyun interjected, “aren’t you sure of it? I mean you’ve been crushing on him pretty much since you came here and you told it just got worse- better - whatever- the more you two met. What happened?” 

Tony threw up his hands in frustration. 

“I still do!” he said in exasperation, “but there are other things. And I just don’t know because I know I couldn’t push these things to the back of my mind and I don’t want them hanging over me.” 

Donghyun leaned forward. 

“Is it something about him? Or do you have some kind of big dark secret?” 

Tony snorted and shook his head. 

“Nope,” he retorted, “it’s something much simpler and I’m afraid of it, and it’s not just about him. It’s about everyone here.” 

Donghyun looked at him in silence for a moment before he nodded slowly. 

“I think,” he said slowly, “I know what you’re playing at. And if that’s what you think it’s your decision. But still.”

He leaned back onto his elbows. 

“You should talk to him. You owe him an explanation - one moment you’re acting as if everything is fine, the next you’re pulling away and leave him alone and he doesn’t know what to do. Talk to him so he at least knows it’s not because you are uncomfortable with him liking you by principle, okay?”

Tony nodded slowly and turned to look at Donghyun. The other hadn’t looked at him as he spoke and his gaze was directed at the sky instead. He seemed far away, with the grey clouds mirrored in his eyes and his expression too neutral to be natural. Tony tilted his head to the side. 

“What about you?” he asked and his friend looked at him, one eyebrow raised. 

“Are you asking me if I am comfortable with him liking you? Dude, I like you but sorry. You’re not my type.” 

Tony snorted and shook his head while Donghyun smiled at him. His jab had lightened the atmosphere considerably. He reconnected their eye contact, this time with a smile on his face. 

“I’m asking if there is anything you want to talk about,” he elaborated and he could see Donghyun’s smile waver a bit at his words. The other looked away quickly. 

“It’s nothing,” he said. “Just some temporary stuff I’m dealing with, it’ll go in a bit. Don’t worry about it.” 

There was a finality to his words that told Tony nothing more would come out of the topic until Donghyun felt ready to talk. He turned back with a sigh. 

“Just know: I’m here for you too.” 

He looked back at Donghyun. 

“Even if I’m not your type.” 

Donghyun snorted and turned to look at him, getting to his knees, arms outstretched and ready to pounce onto him for his comment. But just as he got ready to move forward a deep growl sounded. Both boys looked down at the Wampus cat with wide eyes and an annoyed yellow eye was fixed on Donghyun in a glare. The boy sat back on his haunches immediately, raising his hands in defeat. 

“Sorry to disturb your sleep, m’lady,” he mumbled and promptly ducked when a long sandy tail swished through the air at him. Tony giggled, but promptly suppressed any sound when he caught the glare now directed at him. He held his breath and looked at Donghyun who looked just as ready to burst- and that did it. Both of them broke into guffaws of laughter. 

The cat closed its eyes again and let out a breath that sounded suspiciously like a sigh. 

He followed Donghyun’s advice. And it took him only a bit more than a day. 

But two days later found him in an empty classroom with said prefect he had been meaning to talk to. Sejin looked up at him patiently while Tony tried to put his thoughts into order and say what was on his mind. 

“I wanted to talk to you,” he started and Sejin chuckled. 

“I guessed as much when you came up to me and dragged me right out of a conversation with these puppy eyes you’re sporting right now,” he replied and Tony felt himself blush. 

“Sorry about that,” he mumbled but Sejin shook his head and waved his hand. 

“It’s fine - I’ve walked out on Wooseok’s rants so many times, this won’t hurt him,” he claimed and Tony giggled at the impish smile the older shot him. He breathed in deeply and closed his eyes for a second. When he opened them again he gathered all his determination. 

“You deserve an explanation,” he started and he could see Sejin trying to protest so he raised his hand. The older snapped his mouth shut. 

“You do,” he repeated. “I know you said it’s okay but I feel like I should be completely honest with you. So we’re on the same page. So please let me talk, okay?”

Sejin nodded, quiet and with wide eyes. Tony sighed and took his hand and pulled him to one of the tables near the window plopping down onto it. The older gingerly followed his example and looked at him expectantly. 

“When you told me…” he started and hesitated for a moment but then decided to just say it. “When you said you liked me, you also told that I didn’t have to answer right away. I have an answer now.” 

He looked at Sejin as the elder sat slightly straighter at his words. 

“I like you too.”

There it was, finally out in the open. It felt less freeing than what he had imagined but that wasn’t important right now. Sejin, staring at him with wide eyes and slightly opened mouth was. 

“I’ve liked you from the beginning. When I said you’re bad at introductions - I meant to say you were pretty. But I panicked and messed it up and out came - you know.” 

Sejin blushed and nodded. Tony felt heat bloom on his own cheeks too, but he continued on - he had to use this small bout of confidence. 

“It just got more as we got to know each other better, and I never thought you would like me too - not in the same way.” 

Sejin tilted his head slightly, expression soft and gentle. Tony felt a thumb stroke over the back of his hand he noticed that he was still holding the older’s hand. Warmth seemed to flow up his arm from their interlaced fingers. 

“The reason why I didn’t answer you back when you told me… It’s actually something I’ve been worrying about since I came here,” Tony said, “and it proved itself in a way. It’s just -” 

He sighed. It sounded stupid even to himself, but it made out such a big part, and he couldn’t ignore it. 

“I’m here for only a year. I’ve been afraid to make friends and get close to people because I knew that after a year I would likely not see them again - and I know that the same would be the case for a lot of friends from Ilvermorny but still. There would still be an ocean, a literal ocean between us.” 

He looked up at Sejin. 

“And you’re graduating this year. You don’t know where your way is gonna take you and we’re likely to end up even further apart than we would be if we were both still in school. And I don’t know where I’d go after. And I just…” 

His words left him, but there was an understanding in Sejin’s eyes. 

“You’re afraid of growing apart and becoming estranged over time with too much emotional attachment. Or starting something that would have to end in a few months to avoid worse fallout and heartbreak.” 

Tony nodded. His cheeks burned and he felt almost ashamed with his head hanging low. 

“I’m a coward,” he stated quietly. “I would love to say ‘we can do it, we can get through it and make it work’ but I… I don’t think I could.” 

He looked up. 

“I’m sorry.”

His voice cracked on the apology but Sejin shook his head. He looked sad, sadder than Tony had seen him but his hand was still tightly clasped around his own. He hung his head again. It was hard to look.

“I get it,” he said quietly. “I understand. I don’t necessarily like it, and I can’t say I’d do the same - but I’m also not in your situation, and I’m not you. So I respect your decision. And I’m glad.”

A small hand appeared in Tony’s field of vision and cupped his cheek, turning his head towards the older boy who was still smiling at him. 

“I’m glad you told me. As I said, I might not like it but at least this way I know why.”

Tony swallowed and leaned his head slightly into the hand cupping his face. 

“I’m sorry,” he croaked out again, eyes closed. 

“It’s okay. That’s enough of an answer. I understand.” 

The hand on his face disappeared and he felt tears prick at the corners of his eyes just as the other hand was gently pulled from his grasp. He felt terrible, like a coward and so sad at the same time. Unsure if this was the right decision in the long run or not - or was there even a long run to plan for? He just felt so torn. 

Shuffling beside him sounded and he felt another stone drop. Sejin was leaving. It was his right to do so, he had said he wasn’t happy with the decision. He had to accept that, just as he had accepted Tony’s hesitance the first time. But still - he felt almost scared at him leaving. He wanted him to stay. But he didn’t know how. 

Arms enveloped him, and a figure smaller than him pulled him into a warm embrace. Fingers stroked his hair and over his back, drawing circles. It smelled so familiar, like Earl Grey and parchment. His hands clasped the robes in front of him before they loosened their grip and he slid his arms around Sejin.

“I don’t want to leave you,” he whispered and he felt Sejin hum. 

“I don’t want you to leave either,” the older boy replied. “But as we can’t avoid it, let’s at least stay like this.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WE ARE SORRY!  
But, it seemed more fitting for those two. Next chapter will be one of our more frequent couples again, by the way, but that wasn't it for Sejin and Tony so don't fret. There'll be more.  
If you have questions, complaints, or just want to chat with us, leave a comment or find us on Twitter (@chaos_kisses)
> 
> \---
> 
> Additional Note:
> 
> Moodboard designer/ beta reader here!  
I just wanted to say that it's our first chapter after the news dropped in January. We are aware that some might not want to continue reading a X1 fanfic. It's been tough for me/us too.  
Still, we want to complete this story for us, for you and for X1. So thank you if you are still here. Thank you for reading the words the writer put so much effort and time into. Really, thank you. ♡


	24. Mudsprinkled labradors and an unfortunate incident involving a clock

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're back again! And on time! Who would have thought? Not us, because until about half an hour ago I was convinced that today was Tuesday. But well, here we go with another chapter! We're getting closer to the resolution of one of our story arcs. Enjoy reading and see you next week (hopefully)!

“She’ll be in the infirmary for the weekend - Nurse Sun wants to make sure that she is completely fine and to avoid the risk of maybe missing a concussion. But so far, you don’t need to worry. She has been treated and is sleeping.”

“Can we see her?” 

“Not now, she is sleeping and needs some rest and quiet…”

“But-”

“No but. I have strict instructions to - and I quote - ‘not let in a whole loud team of mud-sprinkled worried overgrown labradors’. So the answer is no. For now.”

Sighs sounded through the hallway, hands clasped in worry and glances thrown around. Wooseok took in the (truly) mudsprinkled Gryffindor Quidditch team in front of him. Yohan was bouncing on his toes, Kookheon chewed on his lip and Yujin and Yuri looked just about ready to strangle him if he didn’t move from the door. Jinhyuk was surprisingly quiet and Miyu seemed more worried than angry at him. He uncrossed his arms and held his hands up in defense.

“Guys,” he said in an attempt to calm them, “think about it. Nurse Sun is always doing a great job, and if she is sleeping right now, do you think it would be a good idea to barge in and disturb her right now?”

A moment of silence, then at least some shook their heads. Jinhyuk fixed Wooseok in a look, but he looked exhausted. More exhausted than Wooseok had ever seen him. 

“Do you know by any chance when we could go to see Nayoungie? Maybe after dinner if she’s awake by then?” 

Wooseok pressed his lips together in thought for a second before he answered. 

“I suppose,” he said slowly. “I don’t want to promise anything. But if she’s awake then it’s more likely. For now, I think all of you could use a hot shower to warm up again and something to eat. Sounds okay to you?” 

Another silence, followed by some grumbling agreements and another bout of sighs. He smiled gently at the wet team in front of him, his eyes wandering from one face to the next. They got stuck on Yuri for a moment who was looking extremely worried with her hands in fists - but at least not angry anymore, while Miyu had been rubbing soothing circles on Yujin’s back. Kookheon seemed the calmest out of them. But Wooseok could see him thrum with nervous energy under his facade while Yohan was still bouncing on his feet. Jinhyuk nodded at him with a tired smile when their eyes met but turned to look at his teammates not even a second later, placing a hand on the girls’ shoulder in an attempt to have them head off. 

“Let’s go then,” he said quietly. “Nothing we can do and we’re not helping anyone if we’re just standing here.” 

The three girls followed his pleading and turned to leave and he followed them after another short smile at Wooseok. Kookheon fixed the door to the infirmary with another quick stare before he looked at Wooseok, something like gratitude on his features. 

“Thanks for handling it,” he said but Wooseok shook his head. 

“You had to think of the team too, and I’m glad if I helped in any way.”

Kookheon hummed, mind apparently further away than he had initially let on. Wooseok looked at Yohan and raised a brow in question. 

“Do you want me to send Junho over if he’s at the Common Room?” he asked but Yohan shook his head. 

“It’s fine, hyung,” he replied with a shaky smile. Wooseok nodded. 

“The password’s ‘Moon’ if you need it though,” he added and glanced back at Kookheon. “I’ll keep you updated if anything new comes out, okay?”

Kookheon nodded and sighed, then he put a hand on Yohan’s back and looked at the younger. 

“Let’s go then,” he said and looked at the Ravenclaw one more time. “Thanks again, Seok.”

Wooseok nodded and smiled softly, looking after the pair as they slowly headed down the hallway. Then he turned around and quietly opened the door to the infirmary once again, slipping inside and walking towards the office as quietly as he could. There was one bed that was covered by a curtain around it and he could see the shadow of Nurse Sun move around and rustle about behind it. He stood at a distance and waited. 

It took only a moment for her to pull the curtain wide enough for her to step out and glance at him, pulling the white linen shut again behind her. Then she approached him.

“Are they still waiting?” she asked, her tones exasperated and Wooseok shook his head. 

“I could convince them to leave for now. They were asking though if they could maybe see her after dinner, if she’s awake then?”

Nurse Sun pursed her lips and crossed her arms. Despite her hard exterior her eyes shone with worry and empathy - both for the young girl behind the curtain and her teammates. 

“I suppose so,” she replied after a moment. “But _ only _if she is awake and not all of them at once! She needs rest.” 

Wooseok nodded and smiled. 

“Thank you,” he said. “I’ll tell them and make sure they figure out who will come, so she’s not overwhelmed all at once.” 

Nurse Sun nodded curtly and turned around, returning to the bed and going behind the curtain again. Wooseok took that as his cue to leave and tiptoed back to the door once again, exiting as quietly as he had entered. Then he headed towards the Common Room. 

What a day, he thought as he walked along the corridors and listened to the wind howl through the castle and the rain pitter patter against the windows. Really, they should have cancelled the game in the first place. But Quidditch had been played in worse conditions than this and everyone had insisted on going through with it. So Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff it was.

And the game had indeed gone well, everything considered. The players had been advised to be more careful and Gryffindor’s head and official Quidditch coach Professor Kang was ready to step in with players of other teams that were asked to be on standby in case the wind got too strong or some players went out of sight. Once in a game, the two seekers had gone up into the clouds and got so disoriented there that when they finally left the thick clouds they had found themselves almost ten miles away from the field. So to avoid them drifting off, more players in bright robes were ready to guide them. 

Surprisingly, it hadn’t been necessary after all. Everyone was careful enough, no one drifted off and Professor Kang only had to step in for the usual things - small fouls, little scuffles and the like. The game in itself turned out to be a neck-and-neck race with the teams only getting one more goal ahead before the other caught up again. The players had been competitive as always, and both teams only made small mistakes to allow the other team to score. Wooseok had been a bit surprised, considering the extra training Kookheon and Yohan were getting but decided not to question it. Either the conditions didn’t allow them to go all out or they had their own reasons. 

As the game dragged on, the Chasers of Hufflepuff had picked up the pace considerably. The rain had gotten stronger and so had the wind, but the three players had apparently found a strategy to shield each other from the violent blows of nature and quickly scored three goals that turned into five just a few moments later. Gryffindor didn’t counter attack - instead, they were trying to shield their seeker, Yuri, so she could look for the snitch without being surprised in the stormy conditions. A wise decision, apparently, when the wind ripped an umbrella from someone in the crowd and hurled it across the field in her direction. Miyu was quick to use her bat in a rather unorthodox but efficient way and avoided injury. 

The longer the game had gone on, the more sluggish the movements of teams had become and Wooseok, shivering despite the repellant spell he had cast, had started to question if the snitch was still around or if the wind had blown it away. He had turned to utter his suggestion to Sejin beside him when his friend had gasped and his eyes widened. Wooseok had whipped around again. 

Hufflepuff had just started another attack on Gryffindor’s goals, but this time their chasers were hot on their heels. He couldn’t make out who it was as they were zipping along the field, dodging and moving about. His eyes flew to Jinhyuk for a moment who was hovering in front of the rings, hunched over and ready to move when the Quaffle was thrown. But at the same moment the attack had started, both seekers had went into a downward spiral, neck to neck in a chase for a tiny glistening spot of gold, almost invisible in the rain. 

Wooseok held his breath as they got closer and one of them - Yuri it seemed - stretched out her arm as fast a snake and pulled back before both brought their brooms back into horizontal positions. Just a metre above the ground. Wooseok squinted and released a gasp when Yuri held up her fist in triumph, flying upwards in a spiral with the snitch clutched in her hand. A whistle was almost inaudible in the commotion around the field - but the initial scream of triumph had suddenly turned into gasps and hectic voices. 

Wooseok’s eyes flew back: the Chasers were still whirring through the air, but in a clutter of bodies this time while Jinhyuk and Yohan were flying close together, holding something red between them. A body. 

“Oh my god,” Sejin whispered beside him. Wooseok turned to look at him with wide eyes. 

“What happened?” he asked imploringly and Sejin glanced at him. 

“She crashed right into the goal post,” he pressed out, voice shaky. “Hufflepuff stopped the advance when Yuri caught the snitch, but the wind picked up, she lost control over her broomstick.” 

Wooseok jumped up. 

“I gotta go down, try to keep the students organised and get them back to the castle,” he ordered before he squeezed through the row, trying to get to the staircase. As he reached them, he started sprinting downwards, trying not to slip on the wet wood and weaving through worried students. As he sprinted towards the staircase inside one of the four towers overlooking the field, headmaster Lee’s voice boomed over the field. 

“To all students: please do not panic, medical assistance is on their way. Please, all of you, head back to the castle in an orderly fashion. Look for your prefects and head for your common rooms.”

The order was repeated several times and ceased by the time Wooseok reached the door to the field as he sprinted out. The grass was muddy beneath his feet and he almost slipped again, the slimy mud sticking to his soles and making running hard. As he scanned the field he saw the muddle of red and yellow robes underneath the goal posts, along with some green and blue. The stand-by team had reacted directly, it seemed. A glance to the side showed him that Professor Kang must have sent students off already, as two of the Slytherin team were running back with the flying stretcher. 

“...gotta get her to the infirmary as quick as possible. Kookheon you’re with me. The rest of you, I need you to back off for a moment, please!” 

Professor Kang’s voice sounded uncharacteristically sharp, but the worried looks on the faces around him told enough to know it was justified. Wooseok finally reached them and pulled some students to the side gently. 

“The stretcher’s here,” he announced just as the two students, Seungyoun and Yiren, reached the throng of people. Professor Kang turned around. 

“Wooseok, take care of the other’s please, make sure everyone’s fine and getting back, okay?” he asked before he gestured for the stretcher to be placed beside him where he was kneeling. His dark red robe was covering the small girl - Nayoung, Wooseok saw now - on the ground, a part of it pressed against the side of her head and tied together by one of the sleeves. 

“Guys,” Professor Kang said and got up, bending down to carefully grab Nayoung’s shoulders. “I need someone for her legs, and someone to hold her head. Quick.”

Jinhyuk was already crouching to grab Nayoung’s legs, while Yujin went for her head and after a short count to three by the coach the lifted her placed her on the levitating stretcher. Kookheon had already placed his own and Professor Kang’s broomstick beside the stretchers and tapped them with his wand. Silvery bands had appeared and connected the broomstick to the stretcher. As Nayoung was placed onto it, he tapped it again and more bands wrapped over her, securing her against it. 

Professor Kang nodded as he swung a leg over his broom, nodding at Kookheon mirroring him. 

“One, two, three,” he counted again and they pushed off synchronously, directly heading for the castle. The wind wasn’t pulling at them and Wooseok figured that the stretcher probably had an isolation spell cast onto it, to make transport easier. He shook his head and looked at the people around him. 

Most of them looked shaken, especially the two teams that had played. Pale faces, worried eyes. The only thing he could do for now was get them inside and warm them up. He glanced at the Slytherins and caught Seungyoun’s eyes, raising an eyebrow. The other boy nodded and nudged Hangyul and Yiren beside him who promptly sprang into action too. Wooseok nodded and turned to the Gryffindors, putting a gentle hand onto Yohan’s and Yujin’s arms. 

“Let’s get you inside,” he said softly and both nodded. He stepped up to the huddle of Hufflepuffs after making sure they really were going and sent them off as gently as he could too, while students around him started doing the same. Within minutes, they had cleared the field. 

  
  


His feet stopped in front of the door of the Common Room. 

“Bad day?” the tinny voice of the eagle handle asked. “Everyone’s looking so glum today.” 

Wooseok looked up and nodded. 

“Injured Quidditch player,” he explained and the eagle hummed. 

“Well, poor child. Hope they’re gonna be fine,” he replied and suddenly swung open. “I know you know the riddle, so off you go, headboy. Get a smile, okay?”

Wooseok sent a grateful glance at the eagle and stepped into the Common Room. People were out and about as always, conversations were buzzing, but above it all was a worried aura. The dark rainy sky outside the windows wasn’t exactly helping. Wooseok sighed and headed straight for the staircase towards his room. He needed to get out of his clammy clothes and get the mud off. And then he’d head for the library. Better than just sitting around getting more worried by the atmosphere. 

He managed to dodge all attempts of people to speak to him and opened the door to a blessedly empty dorm room - save for Sejin on his bed with tea and a book. His friend looked up. 

“You’re back,” he said and placed his opened book onto his lap while Wooseok nodded at him. 

“Obviously,” he replied, sounding more curt than intended. He considered apologising, but decided against it. Sejin knew him well enough to not take that personally. 

“Are you staying or heading off again?” the other asked and Wooseok was glad that he didn’t ask about Nayoung. 

“Heading off,” he said while draping his wet robes over a chair and placing it near the fireplace. “Just gonna wash up and change.” 

Sejin hummed and nodded, eyes returning to his book. The headboy was thankful for the silence as he grabbed some clothes and headed for the bathroom. When he emerged a few minutes later, clean and in fresh clothing, Sejin looked back up. 

“See you at dinner?” he asked and Wooseok nodded. It wasn’t just a question if they would eat together - it was also the question if the headboy would come down. But he had already decided he would. Worrying alone over a book didn’t help anyone, after all. 

He grabbed his bag and headed for the door, glancing at Sejin when he opened it. 

“See you then,” he mumbled before he slipped back into the hallway and down into the Common Room, dodging questions again and making his way to the library. On the way, his thoughts wandered back to the accident earlier. 

It certainly hadn’t been the worst Quidditch accident the school had seen, but it had for sure looked bad. From what he had caught in conversations around him, Nayoung must have hit the goalpost straight on and even though her teammates had caught her, a fall like that wasn’t easy to stop without further injury. She had been unconscious when Wooseok had gotten there, a head wound visible and probably a lot of bruises, if not broken bones. Nothing Nurse Sun couldn’t fix quickly, but still rather jarring, both for the girl and everyone else. He hoped she would be able to walk out from it without too much fear. 

His thoughts had strayed off enough for him to almost walk into the library doors when he reached them, but he caught himself. He shook his head to clear his thoughts and pulled the door open. The reading area was completely empty, the whole library was deserted. But despite the weather outside the large windows, the torches and candles in the room created a warm and soothing atmosphere. He sighed in relief. It was better if he was by himself. 

He walked inside, nodding at the librarian, Mrs. Bae, and sat down beside one of the windows, pulling out his homework. Nothing like Charms to get him into another mindset. Without further ado he dove into revision of magical theory and spells. The occasional hissing of a candle flame or torch and the sound of rain against the windows were the only sounds around him. But as he worked, they seemed to disappear too, as did the library around him. 

The sound of a chair scraping across the floor next to him had him look up. The sky outside the window had turned dark by now, but it was still raining. And someone was now occupying the seat next to him. He looked back down onto his work: he had gotten through most of it. 

“Is it time for dinner already?” he asked quietly as he turned a page. The figure next to him chuckled deeply. 

“No,” it said. “You still have almost an hour.” 

Wooseok’s head snapped up. This had not been Sejin’s voice. It had been someone else, someone whose voice he knew very well. He looked at the person beside him. 

“Hey,” Jinhyuk said with a smile. Wooseok stayed quiet as he studied him. The smile seemed normal at first, but there was still a tiredness in his eyes that was so uncharacteristic. The boy wasn’t wearing his Quidditch robes anymore (thank god, he would’ve gotten sick at that point, running around in wet clothes) but a thick woolen sweater in a light blue. He was turned towards Wooseok, his left arm leaned onto the table beside him and his head leaned onto it. 

“How are you?” The question was out before Wooseok had realised what he had uttered and there was a certain surprise visible in the Gryffindor’s eyes. He raised a brow.

“Fine, I guess,” he replied with a sigh. “Still not completely warmed up, but that’s gonna be fine. Nothing happened to me, after all.”

Wooseok studied him for a few seconds, then he looked back at his work, placing his quill down. 

“I’m not asking you if you got hurt,” he said and closed his book, sorting through his notes and placing them into his folder in the right order. “I’m asking you how you feel.”

He placed his school work in a pile and turned towards Jinhyuk again, this time with his whole body. 

“Jinhyuk, you don’t look fine to me,” he said in a softer tone. “So talk to me. There’s no one around. You don’t have to keep anything up.” 

The surprise returned to the older’s face at his words and Wooseok was surprised himself. He wasn’t sure if they were even close enough for Jinhyuk to want to confide in him. But he could see the older was trying to stay as calm as possible, had done so before in front of the team. And it was probably eating away at him. So if Wooseok gave him the opportunity to talk, it was his choice to use it. 

Silence. It stayed there for a few moments, that turned into a minute. Jinhyuk was considering and Wooseok was waiting for him to decide. The only sounds were once again the sizzling of the torches and the unrelenting rain. 

Eventually Jinhyuk moved. He turned towards the table and rubbed his hands across his face, elbows on the table. Then, he stayed still, features still hidden. When he lifted his head, it was to look at the ceiling. 

“I feel like it’s my fault,” he admitted. Wooseok felt confused but decided not to interrupt.

“I was right in front of the rings, and I could have caught her but I was so fixated on the quaffle that when she lost control, I reacted too late. But if I didn’t, I could have caught her.”

He hid his face back in his hands. 

“I’m the Keeper,” his muffled voice sounded again, rough this time and shaky. “I’m supposed to be aware of what is going on in front of me but I. Didn’t. Even. See. It.” 

The last words were punctuated by Jinhyuk hitting his head against the palms of his hands. 

“It happened so quickly,” he whispered. “I could’ve caught her, I should have focussed on her.” 

“But you didn’t,” Wooseok cut him off. “You didn’t focus on her and you didn’t catch her. And that doesn’t make you less of a person, you are aware of that, right?”

Jinhyuk turned his face to him. His eyes were slightly red and Wooseok held his gaze for a few seconds before he looked at the row of shelves beside them. This idiot and his soft heart.

“Sure, you could have caught her. But you didn’t know what would happen, no one did. Yohan was closer to her than you were and he couldn’t react fast enough either, but would you blame him?” 

He looked back at Jinhyuk who was staring wide eyed, shaking his head. Wooseok smirked drily. 

“DIdn’t think so,” he commented. “Sure, if things had gone differently, if the last attack from Hufflepuff had started later, if Yuri hadn’t caught the snitch in that moment, maybe things would have been different. But they aren’t and that’s no one’s fault and least of all yours.” 

He fixed Jinhyuk in stare and raised an eyebrow. 

“Don’t you think it’s a bit conceited to assume that everything was revolving around the way you reacted?” he asked with thinly veiled sarcasm in his voice. Jinhyuk gaped at him for a moment before he chuckled. 

“Guess you’re not wrong about that,” he replied tiredly, but the small smile stayed on his lips. “I’m just…”

Wooseok cut him off again, tone softer this time.

“You’re worried about her, and you’re worried about the team, I get it,” he said and tried to keep all harshness out of his voice. “But it won’t help you, or Nayoung, or anyone if you go around like that martyr on a cross Jisoo.”

Jinhyuk blinked. 

“You mean Jesus, right?” he asked with amusement lacing his words. Wooseok suppressed a smile and waved it off. 

“Muggle religion never was my strong suit,” he defended himself. “Anyway, you want to protect everyone? Fine. But you have to remember that you won’t be able to do that all the time. You’re just human.” 

Jinhyuk looked conflicted at his words and Wooseok sighed. Hesitantly he lifted a hand and placed it onto the other’s arm. Dark brown eyes connected with his own and all thought flew from his head for a second before he recollected himself. 

“What I mean is that you did nothing wrong. Things like these happen, and you won’t be able to stop them. But next time you’re gonna be more prepared.” 

Jinhyuk nodded. 

“You sound like a self-help book,” he commented and Wooseok rolled his eyes.

“Why am I even trying,” he mumbled but only half serious. He looked up again and saw a small smile playing around Jinhyuk’s lips. His eyes were softer, a little less hollow than before. The older glanced down to where Wooseok’s hand was still placed onto his arm and his free hand came up, fingertips ghosting over the back of the headboy’s hand. Wooseok suppressed a light shiver. 

“I’m,” the Ravenclaw started but his voice cracked lightly. Embarrassed, he cleared his throat and tried again. “I’m honestly surprised how much you care, time and time again,” he said quietly. “Really care, I mean, about the people around you.”

Jinhyuk chuckled. “Are you saying I’m better than you thought?” he asked teasingly and Wooseok looked up, face serious. 

“Better than what I expected you to be from what I noticed before,” he admitted. Jinhyuk looked lightly taken aback at his admittance. That is until an impish grin appeared on his features. His hand closed around Wooseok’s fingers on his arm and he leaned closer. 

“Are you saying you like me, Wooseok?” he asked in a sing song voice and it took everything for Wooseok to not blush at the proximity. That boy! He was gonna burst a vessel at some point, from all that teasing and frustration. Just that, nothing else. He turned his head to the side, nose lifted up a bit. 

“I’m just saying that I’m surprised to get along with you,” he evaded the question, “but I guess I kinda… like you. Like an acquaintance.”

He could practically hear the raised eyebrow in Jinhyuk’s voice, along with the teasing lilt he was so familiar with by now. 

“An acquaintance?” 

God, he hoped he wasn’t blushing by now. Wooseok nodded. 

“An acquaintance,” he repeated. “Like, maybe a closer acquaintance. That’s it.” 

Jinhyuk nodded and hummed beside him, but Wooseok kept his eyes averted. The soft voice reaching his ears was unexpected to say the least. 

“If you say so.”

He turned to look at the older Gryffindor, but he wasn’t prepared for the warm gaze directed at him along with that idiotically endearing smile the older sported. He was as close as before (thankfully not too close, or Wooseok would get closer to tachycardie than he wanted to at his age), but his features held something akin to an emotion Wooseok was a bit afraid to name. The thumb stroking over the back of the hand Jinhyuk was still clasping had him almost jolt in his seat and by now he knew that the heat climbing up his cheeks must be visible. He averted his eyes again.

“Stop looking at me like that,” he croaked out and cursed his voice for betraying him right now. That deep chuckle sounded beside him again, and this time he was pretty sure that he could feel it reverberate in his chest. 

“Like what?” came Jinhyuk’s question and once again he was at a loss for words. 

“Like,” he started but with no clear reply in his head. How was he to name it? And why was he almost afraid to do so?

“Like…?”

“WIth this… endeared expression. You’re making me uncomfortable,” he blurted out and pulled his hand back, clasping his fingers together to avoid fidgeting. A giggle sounded from beside him and a warm hand was gently placed over his clasped ones. 

“You know, I actually like this side of you,” Jinhyuk stated matter of factly. “You can be really sweet if you want to.” 

Wooseok pursed his lips for a moment and pressed out a shy “Thanks.”

Jinhyuk giggled again and leaned closer, his voice less serious again. Wooseok turned to look at him. Despite the proximity, he didn’t shy away. But he could feel the teasing coming. And Jinhyuk delivered, but so did he.

“And you’re adorable, I wanna squish you.. ouch, don’t hit me, I’m emotionally unstable!”

  
  


.oO°Oo.

“So you see, this little squiggle down changes the syllable meaning and it goes from a ‘shey’ to ‘swa’. Now, if we would change this glyph around a bit and add this, this and this - then we would have a whole logogram instead of a syllable meaning as much as defense magic. _ But _ we are going by the phonetic script to ease it up for you, so we will go for the next syllable instead.”

Scribbling was audible in the small classroom while Mr. Lai was speaking, Professor Zhou seated in a corner with a notepad and purely an observer this time. Wooseok squinted his eyes as he tried to decide if he had copied the glyph on the blackboard correctly. Proto-Mayan was extremely detailed and complex and he couldn’t afford to make a mistake and write up a completely different spell. Mayan script was still used for powerful protection wards, but they were long and complicated to make, and intricate with details. On the upside, once properly made hardly anything could break the spell and it would keep intact for - well no one knew how long. Some spells had never been renewed since they were made thousands of years ago, but no spell deterioration had appeared. Quite a feat. 

“So, after we have ‘shwa’ we can go on to the next syllable. This might seem confusing, because we got to know this syllable as ‘qui’ first, but if it is connected to a syllable of the ‘power execution’ glyphs in magic script, it becomes a ‘g’.”

Huh? Wooseok exchanged a short, equally confused glance with Seungwoo beside him who seemed just as baffled why there was a new version of ‘g’ suddenly, when there was another syllable representing this already. He noted it down nonetheless and shook his head in confusion while Seungwoo shrugged. 

“You already know a version of this glyph, actually,” Mr Lai continued and turned around to face the class. The young man was extremely tall and seemed somewhat uncomfortable in his own body sometimes, but if it came to Ancient Runes he was absolutely qualified and Wooseok enjoyed his quiet nature. It was a stark difference to Professor Zhou’s active and highly engaged nature and style. The young man looked around the room with a small smile before he turned back to the blackboard and drew an intricate rune. 

“Remember?” he asked and nods and hums of agreement sounded through the classroom: The glyphe representing magical execution. Placed on any paused or uncompleted spell or enchantment, it would start the magic. Mr. Lai pointed at the blackboard but this time at the new glyph combination. 

“The problem with the executive glyph is that it will immediately activate, which is a problem if you are in the middle of writing up a spell. So we need something that prescribes the start, but doesn’t directly trigger it. So we have the in-script version here.”

Understanding bloomed in Wooseok and he hastily scribbled down the new information, before he looked up again and let his gaze roam around the classroom for a second. It was a decidedly small class, only about ten people taking this extra credit version of ancient runes. At least it wasn’t required as an exam subject, just a certificate course. But still, helpful enough. Eunbi and Sakura in the front seemed to be comparing their drawing of the rune with each other and the blackboard, while a guy from Hufflepuff whose name Wooseok frequently forgot was dead asleep in his seat. He knew that behind him were only a few more people, with Jinhyuk and Baekjin being two of them. Why they had taken this class was a mystery to him, because he knew for a fact that Baekjin had always despised ancient runes after choosing it in third year. And Jinhyuk - who knew? But most of the time the other was actually quite decent. 

“These two runes are made up from different components that can also be spoken like a spell, namely…” and with that, Wooseok’s brain logged out for a second. Mr. Lai had started rattling off a myriad of syllabes at breakneck speed and he straight up decided to not even try this without a full transcription. It took almost half a minute to finish the spell - if it was a spell - but Mr. Lai didn’t even breathe and promptly ended his chanting with a fluent transition back to english. 

“....to combine ‘Swa-gy’ and therefore become what, Jinhyuk?”

“A swaggy rapper.”

Wooseok had stiffened in expectation before as to what Jinhyuk’s answer would be but that answer was both so unexpected and such a lame pun that he couldn’t help himself. This idiot was in trouble. Wooseok let his head drop onto his notes with a barely suppressed groan. He felt Seungwoo sigh next to him and whispers rise up in the class. This wasn’t going to end well. 

He lifted his head just in time to see Professor Zhou turn around with hard eyes and fix Jinhyuk in a terrifying glare. 

“The expertise of Mr. Lai’s handling of ancient runes, including complicated pronunciations and intonations, comes from a lot of practise and devotion to the subject. Maybe an evening of dusting and sorting out tomes can instill the same passion in you, Mr. Lee. You were off mark, the answer was ‘a spellcaster’.”

Silence reigned in the classroom. Wooseok rubbed his forehead - the skin there felt tender after he had made contact with his table. Professor Zhou turned to him and smiled lightly.

“Mr. Kim, you seemed to have hit your head pretty hard, feel free to have a quick trip to the infirmary.” 

Wooseok shot up immediately and waved his hands while snickers became audible in the classroom. 

“I’m fine, Professor, sorry for the noise!” he blurted out and ignored the light snort from beside him. Professor Zhou cocked an eyebrow and turned back to the front. 

“Mr. Lai, please continue,” she ordered with a smile and the young man nodded at her. 

“Right, so I become the spell caster. This is always the centerpiece of a scripture….”

Class luckily didn’t drag on much longer and when the bell rang to dismiss them from it, Wooseok jumped up and shoved his school utensils into his bag quickly before he turned around and marched the two rows back to where a certain idiot was still packing his books away.

“You are such a dumbass,” he hissed as he reached the Gryffindor. Baekjin raised an eyebrow and packed a bit quicker while Jinhyuk looked up at him with puppy eyes. Wooseok fixed him in a menacing glare. How he found the courage to play innocent with him was truly baffling. 

“Why do I always have to suffer through extra detention with you?” he hissed. And for once he was truly pissed at the other. Jinhyuk seemed confused.

“Hey, I’m the one with detention!” he protested but Wooseok rolled his eyes. Talk about a selective memory.

“Yeah, but I am a prefect,” he hissed back, “and have to oversee all students in detention on my rounds. Plus, this was both rude and embarrassing.” 

“Kinda brave too, considering he pulled a blank first and then a joke card out of his ass,” Baekjin commented but Wooseok’s head snapped around quickly enough for the vertebrae to crack. Both boys in front of him winced and shrunk a bit more. 

“Don’t try me,” he hissed, but a hand on his shoulder had him calm down a bit. 

“That was reckless and rude, though,” Seungwoo said as he stepped up to Wooseok. “But he’s not the only one in detention you have to look after today anyways, Seok.”

Wooseok decided to ignore that fact for now, however. 

“You are such an idiot,” he stated again and crossed his arms, eyes fixed on Jinhyuk again. But the other just grinned and got up from his seat, leaning over the table so his eyes were on Wooseok’s height. He looked a bit like a hyena with the way he was grinning. Almost inaudibly he whispered something, and it took a moment for Wooseok to process it. 

“But you love it.” 

Heat shot up his cheeks and took a step back, feigning aloofness. But it became decidedly harder to reign in his emotions around the older. He needed to play it off somehow, so he blurted out the first thing he could think of. 

“Anyway, Seungwoo hyung, do you know what’s for lunch today?”

The confusion in Seungwoo’s voice was as apparent as in Baekjin’s features, while Jinhyuk just looked like a cat that got the cream. 

“I don’t… what?” 

Seungwoo just sounded lost at this point and Wooseok decided that the time for an orderly withdrawal was right now. He grabbed Seungwoo’s sleeve and pulled the other with him towards the door, walking as steadily as he could without seeming hectic, opening the door and heading down the corridor towards the Great Hall while still dragging his friend. 

When they had rounded a few corners, he let out a breath he hadn’t been aware of holding.

Well. That had gone smoothly. 

.oO°Oo.

Jinhyuk coughed when he pulled out the tome and was promptly hit by a cloud dust that followed down from the shelf. Frantically he waved his arms around in an attempt to disperse the dust, eyes squinted and still coughing centuries old particles back up from his lungs. He hated dusty places like these. Considering his long limbs he was prone to bumping into stuff and getting hit by either a book or less pleasant thing - the dead mouse he had once discovered might have been a prime example for mummification, but not really his cup of tea. 

Nope, he preferred less dust. 

But it was his own fault he had ended up here after all. Nothing to bemoan save for his own loose mouth. He shook his head in resignation and glanced at the book he held in his hand. Something on ancient Arameic. Again, he turned around and placed it on the corresponding pile on one of the empty tables in the room before he stretched his arms over his head. His spine and some joints cracked, almost harmoniously with his sigh. 

His task tonight: Sort through the shelf in the north-western book tower, dust off the books and sort them by categories for them to be sorted into the empty shelves in the Ancient Runes department. No magic allowed. The good thing: it was only one shelf that was filled with books in this room. Some smaller ones, some only table height lined the room and the walls, but they had been sorted through already. The bad thing for him: the remaining shelf lined an entire wall and went up to the ceiling. There had to be around 500 tomes at least, not counting in the amount of scrolls, unbound sheets and strangely shaped objects that he was sure held information but were not quite books. 

But once again - he had brought this on himself. If he had counted correctly, he was at almost half of the tomes by now, and the most time consuming thing had been deciphering their titles to know where to sort them. He was glad that Professor Zhou had left him with a language book so he could look up words or certain scriptures to at least figure out the language of the book he was holding. That and the fact that some of the books were prone to biting. He would have to ask Kookheon for guidance afterwards, just in case these ancient bites could be dangerous. 

He reached up and grabbed the next book, thankfully without a cloud of dust this time. He took a look at the title and groaned. The linen that covered the binding had originally been dark in colour but had paled with age. By now it was only a dirty grey, when before it might have been black, blue or green. And apparently there had been lettering pressed onto it, but only little flecks of what looked like bronze colour remained. No letters to be made out. 

He stepped to the table with his guide book and placed it down carefully. He could only hope that it was still young enough to have an end paper, considering that with the scarcity of parchment back in the days empty or almost empty pages were a waste to put in books so most would start immediately with the first page. Which in turn would mean for him to not just figure out the language but also the content to properly sort the book into one of his piles. He opened it and - a page full of writing. No end paper. No title inside. A handwritten ancient book in what seemed to be a script similar to maybe greek. Or was he completely off?

He let his head fall onto the table with a huff and a cloud of dust blew into the air. 

“Shit, shit, shit,” he mumbled. This would be hard. 

A tiny squeak of the door alerted him to the presence of someone else in the room and his head shot up immediately, eyes wide and panicked. 

“I wasn’t sleeping, Professor, I was just having a short existential crisis over a book but I swear I wasn’t…!” His voice died down and heat flooded his cheeks as he took in the smirking figure in the doorway. The pretty small figure, with a dark blue sweater - his dark blue sweater - and a golden headboy pin attached to it. Wooseok looked back at him as he closed the door behind himself. 

“An existential crisis over a book?” he asked curiously and with a certain lilt in his voice that told Jinhyuk to be careful if he wanted to avoid merciless teasing. He swallowed and nodded. Composure, Jinhyuk!

“Yes,” he replied as nonchalantly as he could. “The usual.”

Wooseok raised an eyebrow and leaned against the door, arms crossed in front of his chest. 

“Care to elaborate?”

His tone was carefully neutral, bordering on disinterested but the boy had come in here after all. Jinhyuk decided to leave the book for now and try to keep himself occupied with something else for the time being. His hands were getting fidgety under Wooseok’s inquisitive gaze. Jinhyuk got up from his seat and turned back towards the large shelf against the back wall, reaching out for the next ancient book. Something with an English title this time. Lucky for once. 

“Just some old books giving me a headache because no one bothered to write the name anywhere other than a half rotten cover,” he replied to Wooseok’s question and turned back around to place the new book onto the pile of Old Celtic spells. He glanced at the headboy who was following his movements through the room from his perch by the door. A hum sounded through the room. 

“Have you checked the language yet?” Wooseok asked and Jinhyuk shrugged, turning to the shelf again. Not looking at the younger for too long was definitely better for his heart rate. 

“Something like greek maybe?” he said, more to himself than to Wooseok. “I’ll check later, best to get as many books done as possible before I despair over one title.”

Steps became audible as he turned back with another tome on Egyptian magic - or at least he assumed it was, going by the hieroglyphs. But checking first wouldn’t hurt. He stepped towards the table where he had placed the other book earlier and put the other down too, while Wooseok was slowly going through the room, inspecting the empty shelves and coming to a stop on the opposite side of the table. 

He looked down at the two books Jinhyuk had placed down while the older turned back towards the shelf again, grabbing the next to books, a duology on dragons. Magical creatures pile and on he went. Silence surrounded them for the next few minutes as Jinhyuk continued sorting through tomes and books, carefully placing aside the scrolls that were randomly scattered over the shelves in a large box to be sorted through later by Mr. Lai - Jinhyuk wasn’t fit to handle the ancient material. 

He had cleared another row when he turned around and found that Wooseok was gone. He wasn’t at the table anymore and he hadn’t heard the door. Confused Jinhyuk placed the next book on the corresponding pile and turned around, only to almost screech. Instead, he suppressed the sound to something that sounded like a hiccup and flinched violently. 

Wooseok wasn’t gone - he had relocated to the small shelf under next to the window, seated on it cross legged. His large eyes were studying Jinhyuk curiously behind round glasses, glinting in amusement and the corner of his mouth curled slightly upwards. The moonlight shone into the room at an angle and cast over one half of the Ravenclaw's body, making his skin look almost white while the other half was shrouded in the almost-darkness of the poorly lit corners of the room. 

“Did I scare you?” he asked and Jinhyuk scoffed, gathering the rest of his pride from where it had dropped to the floor and turned back to the books. 

“You look like a demon, half shrouded in darkness - like venom,” he remarked but a smile stole onto his face at the same time, along with a slight tingle in his stomach. An irrational happiness that Wooseok hadn’t just come to check and directly leave again, but was instead staying, even if only for a little longer. Wooseok tilted his head. 

“Say what now?” he asked and Jinhyuk waved it off. 

“Another movie reference,” he remarked and returned to his work. The Ravenclaw hummed at his words but stayed quiet. He wasn’t bothered by their silence though. For once, it was not awkward but comfortable and Jinhyuk saw no need to fill it with mindless chatter for the time being. Wooseok, too seemed content with watching him, curled up like a cat that had found a spot in front of the fire, back leaned against the wall and his hands slowly turning and twisting a feather that seemed to be from an owl. 

Jinhyuk concentrated on his work again - he wanted to get done with at least sorting through the shelf, even if he couldn’t figure out all the books. His detention ended at 10.30 PM after all, and he was sure he could appease more if he got as much as possible done already. Or Professor Zhou would have his head. For a woman that seemed so fairy-like, she could be ferocious and should never be crossed. 

Time passed as he continued his trek to and fro, sorting through books and placing them onto the growing piles, along with the collection of maybe a dozen that he hadn’t figured out yet. At least he had gotten lucky, that most books were either written in English, or had some title that he could understand most of to be able to sort it out. When he reached the last shelf he let out a sigh and rolled back his shoulders before he stepped forward and reached for the next book. Almost done. 

“So,” Wooseok suddenly said and Jinhyuk almost dropped the book onto his head in surprise. In the silence of the room the soft voice had sounded louder than expected. He turned to look at the younger and - yep, that glint was back once again. 

“Are you trying to give me a heart attack?” Jinhyuk asked with fake annoyance and Wooseok grinned at him, eyes turning to crescents over his cheshire smile. It was almost ery in the moonlight that illuminated only parts of his features. 

“Maybe,” he replied with a lilt in his voice and Jinhyuk gasped in mock hurt.”Anyways, as I was saying…?”

Jinhyuk hummed and turned to the book again, checking for the title while turning towards his piles. 

“You actually apologised,” Wooseok continued and Jinhyuk stopped in front of the right pile, placing the book down and turning to the headboy with a raised eyebrow. 

“Of course I did,” he said and Wooseok returned his gaze, expression somewhat curious. 

“I just wasn’t expecting it,” the younger replied slowly, as if he was treading on ice. A small flash of hurt flared up in Jinhyuk but he ignored it. For now. 

“One would think you know me well enough by now,” he retorted without bite and went for the next book. More Celtic magic. He turned back to his piles. 

“I made a mistake plus I was rude.”

He looked up at Wooseok as he placed down the book. 

“I might be a troublemaker, but I am not uncivilised - so yes, I apologised. And not to get out of detention, mind you,” he continued. Wooseok’s expression was unreadable, but he tilted his head slightly towards the side as if mulling Jinhyuk’s words over. 

Apologising had been a feat in itself, not for the act of it but in actually apologising to Mr. Lai and trying to convince both him and Professor Zhou that he was not trying to get out of detention or play nice. They had been highly suspicious. He sighed under his breath and concentrated back onto his task. Only a few books left. 

He scanned over the titles of the next few and grinned: lucky. It was an encyclopedia and if his eyes weren’t playing tricks on him it was twenty books. He started grabbing the large tomes from the shelves and stacked them on an empty table in the correct order and then scribbled their title onto a small sheet of parchment that was placed onto them. He nodded and turned back, grabbing the final two books. One on Hungarian healing and a Swedish cookbook from 1689. Lovely. He placed them onto their piles and checked the time. 9.53PM. He could get some more sorting done. 

Wooseok’s voice interrupted his thoughts another time as he stretched his arms over his head and heard his joints pop. 

“I just wouldn’t have thought you’d go directly,” he mumbled and Jinhyuk almost missed it but could make it out. He turned towards the younger who was looking at him again. 

“I should have figured,” Wooseok explained, “that you would apologise eventually. You have principles, and while you are troublesome” - a frown appeared on the younger’s forehead for a second - “you’re never deliberately rude. But it was earlier than expected.” 

Jinhyuk shrugged with a small smile and turned towards the table, sitting down so he was facing Wooseok and pulling a book and the compendium closer. That was probably as close as he could expect an admittance to go on Wooseok’s part. And if he was being honest, they didn’t know each other that well after all. Something that Jinhyuk desperately wanted remedied. He started leaving through the sheets and tried to find the right language, comparing glyphs and letters. After a few minutes Wooseok chuckled quietly. 

“Do you have some kind of masochist streak?” he asked and Jinhyuk’s head shot up quick enough to make his vertebrae crack. That was a very unexpected question on an even less expected topic. How did Wooseok get that idea, and why was he asking with a straight face? The younger seemed completely unfazed while heat climbed up Jinhyuk’s ears. 

“First you try to load all the responsibility onto yourself after the Quidditch match, and now you're being self-punishing by going the long and complicated way in figuring out titles?” he continued with a smirk. “Sounds like a healthy dose of masochistic tendencies mixed with a pretty big ego.” 

Jinhyuk gaped at him for a moment while his brain tried to activate his linguistic cortex. 

“What…?” he asked eloquently. 

Wooseok fixed him in a stare before he grinned. 

“You seriously don’t know?” he asked with a hint of surprise in his voice and Jinhyuk tilted his head in question. The headboy sighed and chuckled again, closing his eyes for a moment. Then he looked back up with a smile that was almost fond. 

“Go to the last page of the compendium,” he ordered and Jinhyuk nodded dumbly before he complied. The final page, right before the end paper was empty but a slightly yellowish colour - a contrast to the white of the previous pages. He raised his eyebrows again and looked up. Wooseok snorted. 

“Try writing the first glyph from the book you have there,” he ordered and Jinhyuk sputtered. 

“I can’t just write into a book like this!” he protested but Wooseok just considered him with an unimpressed expression. 

“Trust me on this,” was all he replied, eyes large in the light and gaze imploring. Jinhyuk felt compelled to do so. He grabbed the pencil he had laying on the table and looked up one more time. Wooseok nodded at him and he looked back down, at the compendium, then at the title of the book he had laying next to it. The egyptian one. 

He carefully drew the glyph onto the page. For a moment nothing happened and he was about to question Wooseok again when dark ink started to appear on the page. In neat cursive, letters appeared under the rune. _ Magic _ , they read. And further to the side: _ egyptian, Cheops era. ref. p. 587. _

“Woah,” he whispered and looked up to Wooseok who was giggling at his expression. The small sound barely reached his ears but it sounded cuter than he had expected. The last time he heard this giggle had been at the Yule Ball when Wooseok had discovered a small ice penguin waddling around and had crouched down to observe it - still tipsy. Jinhyuk had crouched beside him, eyes fixed on the rose coloured cheeks of the headboy as he observed the penguin with shining eyes. He had been confused how the boy had suddenly changed from intense to adorable. But he hadn’t asked. 

“If you don’t close your mouth you’re going to drool,” came that same voice, too saccharine to be trusted and Jinhyuk snapped his mouth shut. A small evil grin was visible on Wooseok’s features. 

“Spaced out?” he asked teasingly and Jinhyuk nodded for a moment before his brain caught up and he mentally face palmed. Wooseok snorted. 

“You’re easy to impress, considering you’re at a school teaching magic,” he snickered and Jinhyuk sighed deeply. He was digging his own grave with his reactions. “But if you can put that admiration aside for a second, then you would hear that if you write the whole title, it will be translated too.” 

Jinhyuk’s eyes widened and he looked up. 

“So you’re telling me,” he said slowly, “that the whole time I only needed to write the title and not had to translate it painstakingly? Word by word?” 

Wooseok nodded with another snicker. 

“As long as the title has been catalogued before, yes,” he replied. “If not, then you’re on your own. But that shouldn’t be the case here.” 

Jinhyuk let his head drop onto the compendium with a groan. 

“I’m an idiot,” he announced and Wooseok snorted once again. The Gryffindor lifted his head from the book and looked at the younger, puppy eyes at max level. 

“You are a lifesaver,” he whispered and Wooseok’s smile got just a bit softer - or maybe he was imagining it in the light, along with the light blush. Okay, definitely imagination. He cleared his throat and sat back up, grabbing his pencil. He should get going. Carefully, he continued drawing the glyphs and - lo and behold! - a title appeared. He gaped shortly before he took the book and placed it onto a free spot on the table, grabbing the next one. This was so much quicker that way! He sighed again. 

“I am an idiot,” he repeated quietly.

“I know,” sounded from the shelf at the window, followed by a quieter: “But not like I really mind it.” 

He chose to act as if he hadn’t heard. Judging by how quiet the words had come, Wooseok probably hadn’t even noticed he could hear them. Instead he focussed on the next tome. After five books he got up from his chair to place them onto the right piles around the room. 

“By the way,” he said as he walked around, “how come you are familiar with topics like these?” 

Wooseok looked up. 

“What,” he asked, “sorting books? Or magic translation?” 

Jinhyuk turned to him with an impish grin. 

“That too,” he said smugly. “Sounds like experience with detention tasks. But no, I actually meant what you said before.” 

He leaned against the table holding the old chinese texts and placed one book there,but just as he shifted his weight, the table moved too. A short stumble and a quick but inelegant side step saved him, much to his mortification. And Wooseok’s amusement. 

“What I said before?” the younger asked with a laugh. “What do you mean?” 

Jinhyuk looked up and took a step towards the younger. Next to him was a small pile of books on various non-scientific topics, including the Swedish cooking book. He placed the collection of children's rhymes onto it and looked at Wooseok, wiggling his eyebrows. 

“Didn’t know you are knowledgeable on masochism and the like,” he commented with a devilish grin. “But you know how they say, the most innocent faces hide the deepest -hmph!”

Wooseok’s hand was clamped over his mouth with the younger turning bright red and wide-eyed. Bulls-eye, he was shy after all. He probably hadn’t even noticed the suggestive meaning of his earlier words. 

“I don’t… what… No!” he rambled, almost choking on his words. “I can’t believe… Why would… Jinhyuk!”

“That’s me,” the Gryffindor replied after he had peeled the younger’s hand off his face. Wooseok groaned.

“I shouldn’t have talked to you,” he grumbled. Jinhyuk grinned and stepped closer. 

“You had to check on me after all. But I didn’t keep you here,” he sang and Wooseok looked up at him with a frown. He couldn’t quite hide the smile playing around his mouth, however. 

“I could’ve skipped you. Forgotten to check,” he quipped back, head raised and eyes challenging. “It’s not like it’s my problem you got into detention. Not like I care.” 

Jinhyuk stepped even closer, his right hand already supporting him on the shelf as he leaned more into Wooseok’s space. It wasn’t even a conscious decision to do so, but not like he really minded. 

“And still, you’re here.”

His voice sounded lower than expected even to his own ears. Wooseok’s eyes grew wide, the challenge slowly disappearing from them and being replaced by something else. Surprise, mixed with something close to anticipation? He wasn’t quite sure. The Ravenclaw swallowed and Jinhyuk’s eyes followed the way his adam’s apple bopped up and down before his eyes returned upwards. He had moved even closer, practically towering over the younger by now, and his left hand found itself on the shelf too, this time on Wooseok’s other side, effectively caging him in.

“And still I’m here” the boy repeated Jinhyuk’s words, voice breathy, airy and so soft. 

“Even though you don’t care?” Jinhyuk asked, his voice low enough to see Wooseok shiver slightly at the sound. His heart was beating rapidly against his ribs, and he was pretty sure that Wooseok’s was beating just as hard - his breathing came in small but quick puffs, faster than usual. 

“Even though I don’t…” Wooseok swallowed again, voice almost breaking. “I don’t care. At all.” 

His upper body was inching closer to Jinhyuk, mirroring him as if they were both pulled in by the same magnet. Those large eyes were flickering over his face again and again and he wasn’t imagining the blush on his cheeks anymore. Jinhyuk breathed deeply as he was hit by the scent he noticed around the other before: parchment and cotton. He closed his eyes for a second as the sensation invaded his senses, lips slightly opened. 

When he opened his eyes again, Wooseok wasn’t looking at him anymore. Or at least not at his eyes. His gaze had fallen slightly lower, low enough to be focused on Jinhyuk’s lips. He leaned another centimetre forward and their noses touched. But Wooseok didn’t flinch. Instead, he dragged his eyes back up slowly, meeting Jinhyuk’s once more. Their foreheads were almost touching, breaths mingling. Jinhyuk yearned to lean closer, to finally close the gap. But there was still some insecurity pooling in his gut. 

“Why are you here then?” he asked, just loud enough to be understandable. And he knew that Wooseok was aware of what he meant. This wasn’t about his general presence here anymore, or why he had checked on Jinhyuk. It was about more than that. And Jinhyuk felt like he would finally receive an answer this time. 

The younger blinked, but his eyes stayed on Jinhyuk’s, unwavering. 

“I….” he started but no further words came out. A small hand came up to grab the front of Jinhyuk’s sweater, the fingers curling nervously around the fabric. Large doe eyes left his face, flickering down for a moment, before they came to linger on his lips for a second and then return to his eyes. 

“Because of you.” 

He almost missed it. The words were barely a breath. But they were there and he had heard them, had seen how a short but imploring look had ghosted over the eyes of the small boy he was still towering over. And he knew that his own eyes had inadvertently widened at the words, how he sucked in a breath, how he leaned a bit closer, their lips just a centimetre from each other as his eyes fluttered shut. Warmth was bloomin in his chest. 

The hand at the front of his sweater curled tighter into the fabric, pulling him in the last centimetre and his lips brushed against Wooseok’s. Just a bit chapped, like his own, but still soft. He tilted his head as he was being moved forward and their lips met properly this time. They were unmoving for a second, both too surprised by what was actually transpiring. 

There was no firework, Jinhyuk noted, but the butterflies in his stomach were throwing a party and his heart seemed to be set on making a new record with how fast it was beating. 

Wooseok was the first to move. He slightly opened his lips and slid them over Jinhyuk’s who responded just a second later, mirroring him. The warmth from his chest was spreading through his entire body, along with a jitter he couldn’t quite control. He was glad his hands were pressed to the shelf or they would be shaking. 

He felt Wooseok exhale shakily as he moved his lips again and tilted his head a bit more to make their lips fit together even better, leaning even closer -

A loud gong resounded through the room and he flinched violently, just as Wooseok did. Before either of them could react, the voice of Professor Zhou sounded through the room from the Victorian clock in the corner, along with a whirring sound. 

“Mr. Lee, your detention is finished. You may go back to your common room now. Have a good night.” 

The whirring stopped. 

Jinhyuk closed his eyes for a second and then looked back at Wooseok who looked shell-shocked. Jinhyuk had flinched upwards at the sudden sound and the younger had let go of his sweater, scooting backwards. Their eyes met and a dark red blush crept up Wooseok’s cheeks. Jinhyuk wanted to speak, to say something, but the younger beat him to it. 

“I should probably go back to my rounds,” he blurted out and Jinhyuk froze. He wasn’t sure how to react. He wasn’t sure of anything right now, because right now his brain was a muddled mess and everything in him was torn between cursing the clock, going back to kissing Wooseok or first of all asking what exactly the younger meant - or what any of this had meant? 

But before he could even react, the younger had slipped off the shelf on shaky legs and was hurrying towards the door. Jinhyuk was still frozen, his mind going a million miles and none at all at the same time. He stared after the younger as he opened the door. 

“Get home safely,” was the last thing he heard before the door closed, spoken by a soft voice that held just as much confusion as he felt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You thought this was the resolution? Nope. Think again. We made it long-winded before, not like we're just gonna end it here. Hehe.  
But you will have to wait for that resolution because first we're gonna dive headfirst into another arc - or to say it with Monty Python: And now for something completely different! Who do you think will be up next? Leave you guesses in the comments or on our Twitter! (@chaos_kisses)
> 
> See you next week!


	25. Tea at midnight and riddles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hellloooo~~~ here we are again with a new chapter. Shorter than usually but do not fret! We will upload the second half of it later this week. On Wednesday maybe? We'll see, but you'll get more this week. Until then, enjoy the chapter!

“So he slowly followed her down the hall,” Eunsang said with a gravely voice and dead-serious expression. “And when she heard the sound of steps - echoing through the hall behind her she knew-”

“That you should never wear heels when you’re trying to sneak up on someone.”

Jungmo couldn’t suppress his laughter anymore and snorted loudly, while Eunsang looked highly offended for being interrupted. Junho next to him was snickering along, and Sejin was still clinging on to a politely amused facade, but it was cracking more and more by the second. Yena’s comment had thrown all of them off. 

Eunsang looked at her, his forehead in an exaggerated frown. 

“Sounds like you’re speaking from experience,” he said in a suspicious tone. Yena grinned at him. 

“Experience in sneaking? Yes sir, I had to bypass all the prefects over these years after all.”

She winked at Sejin who rolled his eyes at her but smiled nonetheless. Yunseong chuckled and looked up at her. A rather ambitious feat, considering Yena was leaning onto him with her hands on his shoulders standing, while Yunseong was on the floor, cross-legged. 

“Sneaking?” he repeated. “More along the lines of psychotic knife murderer, you are.”

Yena smiled down at him sweetly before she leaned down. 

“If I were you,” she sang lightheartedly, “I’d sleep with one eye open from now on. And watch your back.” 

Before Yunseong could react, she kissed his forehead, slapped his head lightly and quickly sidestepped as he turned around in an attempt to grab her. 

“See you boys!” she sang and hopped over Yunseong’s outstretched arm, heading for the door where Yuri was already waiting for her. 

“She’s serious about the knife,” the Gryffindor girl commented before they slipped out of the door, giggling. The whole group looked after them, some more surprised than others at the sudden whirlwind. Jungmo glanced at Eunsang who was grinning at Yunseong. 

“You don’t have a chance, hyung,” the younger commented. “She’s a blast.” 

Yunseong fake-glared at him. 

“Don’t think you’re safe just because she loves you,” Yunseong warned. “She’s gonna get both of us, you and me. And we won’t see it coming.” 

Junho was watching the exchange with a smirk and a raised eyebrow before he exchanged another glance with Jungmo. Both of them started snickering. Sejin sighed. 

“This,” he announced, “might be one of the most stupid conversations I have ever heard from you.” 

All eyes landed on the seventh year. He looked up and raised an eyebrow in surprise. 

“What,” he asked. “Do you really think you can escape Wooseok’s wrath after the stunt you pulled today?”

Both Eunsang and Yunseong blanched at Sejin’s words. Interesting. He hadn’t heard of that until now. Eunsang looked over his shoulder nervously as if Wooseok would suddenly materialise himself there. 

“Do you think he knows it was us?” he asked in a more quiet voice and Sejin grinned. 

“Oh, my innocent Eunsang,” he said with a devious smile, “He doesn’t just know. He’s already plotting your demise.” 

Eunsang shrank in on himself while Yunseong swallowed audibly. Sejin nodded and then pushed himself to his feet with a groan. 

“Alrighty, time to go on rounds,” he said in a normal tone, ignoring the building panic emanating from the two boys still on the floor. “You ready, Mogu?” 

Jungmo nodded and got up. 

“As ready as it gets,” he replied with a yawn. But to his surprise, Junho got to his feet too. 

“Can I come?” he asked and Sejin looked at him in surprise. 

“On patrol?” he asked flabbergasted, but Junho shook his head. 

“Drop me off at the Gryffindor tower,” he explained. Sejin seemed even more confused by that. 

“You know it’s late though?” he said and grabbed his robes from the chair he had draped them over earlier, handing Jungmo his from underneath it. They promptly draped over Yunseong’s head who had been unfortunate enough to sit underneath Sejin’s now outstretched arm. 

“Thanks,” came the muffled voice from underneath the fabric. “Now I have an outlook on my future. Pretty dark.” 

Jungmo snorted and pulled the fabric off his friend, patting his head. 

“You’ll be fine,” he said. “Wooseok wouldn’t make it obvious that he killed you, so you still have some time.” 

Eunsang let out a slightly strangled sound while Sejin snorted once more, before he turned back to Junho who just nodded at his earlier question. Jungmo decided to solve the mystery for the older and stepped up, placing a hand on Junho’s shoulder. 

“We are soliciting nightly meetings,” he said conspiratorially. “Think of yourself as friar Lorence, hyung.” 

His allusion at Romeo and Juliet went right over Junho’s head, but Sejin understood immediately and his eyes widened, and something close to worry appeared in them. 

“Just less deaths,” Jungmo added as an afterthought and Sejin chuckled breathily before he nodded. Junho still looked somewhat clueless. 

“You know,” the older Ravenclaw said,” theoretically we shouldn’t allow something like this.” But despite his words he smiled and put a hand on Junho’s back, steering him towards the door. Jungmo followed. As if Sejin could say no to Junho. He liked the boy too much. 

They parted at the foot of the stairs, splitting up with Sejin heading towards the Gryffindor tower with Junho and Jungmo going off into the corridors in the West Wing. There were mainly old classrooms around there, and empty rooms - which made them the ideal places for students to sneak into. Jungmo’s policy was to not create unnecessary trouble for people but if he ran into someone, it was their own fault. And better to meet him than a teacher. They tended to be considerably more strict. 

But tonight, it was silent. Very silent. And he still couldn’t get Eunsang’s story, as cliche as it had been, out of his head. His own footsteps reverberated slightly in the empty hallways and most torches weren’t lit. There was only a hint of moonlight shining through the windows, with the moon just starting to wax again after the new moon phase. 

Jungmo stood for a moment, eyes transfixed on the flurry of clouds partially obscuring the stars outside. They seemed almost as dark as the sky, with only flecks of starlight shining through them. Truly beautiful. This was probably the part he appreciated most of all about the patrols he had to go on as a prefect. He thoroughly enjoyed being on his own now and then, considering he was at a boarding school and constantly surrounded by other students. Hogwarts was extraordinarily spacious, but still. Sometimes, it became too much. 

And sometimes… he wouldn’t mind having someone with him on patrol. Not even to chat, just to drive off the thoughts he would like to ignore, just to have someone with him to be there, a comforting presence at his side. He usually accompanied one of the younger prefects in the beginning, so they got used to the rounds they took, but it was usually just for a few times. Then, he was back on his own. 

And right now, he could use someone with him. Thanks to Eunsang’s story from earlier. Why was he getting scared? There hadn’t been a knife murderer since… a long time ago. Sure, there had been Sirius Black, but he was just a guy with a knife after all. And there was the Bloody Baron but his story dated way back, so he didn’t count either. There wasn’t any danger, except stumbling over a disappearing step of using a trick corridor that got smaller as one walked through and ends up spitting the person out of some weird hole in the wall. But he was sure he was hearing something.

He glanced over his shoulder but the corridor was empty. He was in a long gallery with no windows and lots of paintings hung on the walls - all of them either asleep or nodding at him silently as he went past. Nothing moved. A few sparse torches lit up the hallway and bathed it in a warm glow, but the shadows in between seemed darker than usual. 

And there was a rustling sound. He was sure of it. 

Slowly, he turned back around and continued on his way, but he hadn’t even taken two steps when he heard another rustle and something that sounded suspiciously like a curse and a thud. He turned back in a flash, his hand shooting towards his wand ready to react - but the corridor was empty. He stared into the dim light as if he could will whatever was hiding to come out. He didn’t dare to blink.

Someone, or something, was following him. 

He stepped backwards, slowly and carefully. This tract of the castle was positively deserted at night, he was closer to some storage rooms and old practise rooms for magic duels - there was no one else here. Jungmo’s heart rate picked up and his breathing started to sound louder in his ears. He didn’t dare blink as he tried to recall. 

Had there been any unusually closed doors? Any statues he didn’t know? A shadow somewhere, an open window? But who could overcome the security wards of the school?

He took another step backwards, his breathing getting faster. The rustling returned, and it got closer. His eyes darted around, but there was nothing, no movement. He looked up. Only the ceiling above him, illuminated by the torches. Thank god, no figure. He looked back, prepared for something to be there but the corridor remained empty. 

“Come out, whoever you are!” he declared. His voice didn’t sound as confident as he wanted to but at least it didn’t crack. The rustling stopped for a moment and Jungmo held his breath. It had come from beside him. 

“Did I scare you?” came a soft voice from beside him. A familiar soft voice. Minhee. His head whipped around, but there was no one beside him. He turned on his own axis, but the corridor remained empty. Was he hallucinating now?

“I’m here!” Again, the voice was beside him. Familiar, but somewhat different, as if it was speaking through a thin wall or a thick fabric. 

“What the -” Jungmo muttered as he turned again. Still empty. 

“Hyung.” 

He stopped moving. It was definitely Minhee’s voice, louder but still somehow muffled. He held his breath. Was he being tricked?

“Look at the painting. The one with the landscape.” 

He glanced at the painting next to him - a landscape, rolling hills, pastures, some trees and a creek. All shrouded in the shadows between the torches. He stepped closer, squinting. There, in the painting a figure was moving, walking - towards him. It was climbing up the hill that the picture must have been painted on, judging by the perspective. A tall figure with gangly limbs and almost white hair, waving at him. Jungmo gasped. 

“What - Minhee? Are you- what are you? Are you alright?” he stammered out, his brain almost exploding from how hard it was trying to comprehend this. Why was Minhee in a Hogwarts painting? Was there some kind of Doppelgänger? Was he being tricked? Was this an illusion?

The figure - Minhee, it looked exactly like him - had reached the edge of the painting and stepped towards it, slightly smaller than usual, but not by much. It was as if Jungmo was looking at him through a window from a distance. The white haired boy smiled at him. 

“Hey,” he greeted. “I’m a thief.” 

Jungmo paused in his frantic fidgeting and his brain came to a screeching stop. 

“What?” he asked blankly and Minhee grinned. 

“I’m here to steal your heart,” the boy said. Jungmo gaped. 

“First of all,” he said very slowly, “you should explain to me why I am speaking to a painting of you.”

Minhee raised an eyebrow at him, confusion taking hold of his features. Jungmo’s voice grew more insistent. 

“I mean, why is there a painting of you in Hogwarts, and why of all things does it use the same awful but weirdly effective pick up lines as the real you. And why are you following me, I was ready to fight and seriously I wouldn’t have wanted to fight you because I don’t want to hurt you even if it was accidentally and I just don’t get-”

“Hyung!”

His rambling was interrupted by the younger with a loud call and he stopped dead in his tracks, mouth still open. Now that the adrenaline from potentially being followed was gone, he felt jittery and nervous. Painting-Minhee held up his hand in front of him, his expression somewhere between worried and amused. He looked incredibly real. 

“Slow down,” he said in a calming tone. “Let me explain.” 

Jungmo nodded and closed his mouth. Then he looked the hallway up and down - still empty. Okay. He turned back. Minhee smiled. 

“First of all, sorry to scare you. I didn’t know you would hear me and I only realised you did when you told me to come out,” he started. “So forgive me?” 

He pouted slightly, his forehead creased and eyes big. Jungmo let out a sigh. 

“It’s alright,” he replied. Minhee continued pouting and he groaned, shaking his head. 

“Stop that,” the older whined. “It’s fine, really, now stop being cute.” 

He flinched at his own words, while the boy in the painting started to grin. 

“I’m cute?” he asked. Jungmo groaned and closed his eyes. 

“Please, explain the rest,” he tried to play it off and thankfully the other complied. 

“About the rest of your questions,” he said lightly, “I doubt anything could have hurt me, you would have destroyed the painting at most - but what a revelation, hyung!” 

The cheeky grin on his lips was not a good sign. 

“So I’m cute, you’re worried about hurting me _ and _ my lines are effective? The things I learn about you!” 

Jungmo felt himself grow red, and the blood was rushing through his head. He cleared his throat awkwardly, averting his eyes. 

“You still haven’t answered why there is a painting of you though,” he tried to divert attention. Minhee chuckled. 

“Yeah, that’s a good question,” he said. “Why would there be a painting of me here? I’m not famous, neither is my family, I haven’t accomplished anything.”

He glanced at his nails, while Jungmo was almost bouncing on his toes in anxiety. The younger looked up. 

“The answer is simple,” he said matter of factly. “There isn’t one. This-” he gestured at himself-” is me. I’m not a painting, I am in a painting. I’m the same Minhee as always.”

Jungmo’s mouth hung open as he went through a variety of thoughts and emotions in a short time. If Minhee was in a painting, then how did he get in? And how would he get out? Could he get out? Who showed him? Was this allowed? Was this even legal? Could he move between places like the paintings could? Could he get out anywhere? Why was he in there anyway? And if he was the real Minhee - god, Jungmo suddenly felt embarrassed. He had definitely said too much earlier. 

“Hyung,” the younger boy’s voice came again, “stop it. I can hear you panic from in here.” 

Jungmo focussed back on the Slytherin. 

“How?” was all he asked in a level voice. Minhee chuckled. 

“How did I get in here?” he asked and the Ravenclaw nodded. 

“I’m friends with a few paintings. I sometimes meet with them for tea, and once they dropped some mentions of how it was possible to enter a painting. And from all their hints I figured it out.”

He shrugged, voice a bit shy. The older blinked a few times as he tried to process that information. Okay. So the boy in front of him had befriended paintings. So far so good. They had tea meetups. Nothing too unusual in a school of magic, though Jungmo had never heard of that happening before. But then again it was Minhee, he was a bit weird at times. Anyways. 

The part that was both worrying and amazing was the fact that not only had the paintings trusted him with that kind of information, and apparently without the boy actively looking for it and he had figured it out from just hints. After tutoring him for several months Jungmo was keenly aware that Minhee was smart, but tended to think in abstract structures - however, Jungmo was less surprised the longer he thought about it. This kind of thing was right up the younger’s alley. 

He looked up. Minhee was looking at him expectantly. 

“How did you get in?” he asked hopefully. But no such luck. Minhee shook his head with a grin. 

“I can’t just tell you,” he said sweetly. “I figured it out by myself, plus I don’t know what the paintings would think about it.” 

Jungmo had to admit he had a point. He sighed. 

“Do you at least know how to get out?” he asked, resigned. Minhee’s smile became a bit shaky. 

“Actually,” he said, “I haven’t thought about that part. But I am pretty sure that the place where I entered-” he paused and Jungmo grew expectant- “is not where I can leave. So I am working on it.” 

The Ravenclaw fixed him in a look. 

“You are in so much trouble,” he claimed and Minhee’s puppy dog eyes made a reappearance.

“You would tell on me?” he asked in a whiny tone, and Jungmo suppressed a smile. The younger’s cutesy act was working way too well on him. 

“You are out and about in the corridors!” he argued, trying to remain reasonably despite the pout directed at him.

“Technically,” Minhee claimed, “I’m not in the corridors.” 

Jungmo took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment. It was more for show - and to not become too flustered in front of the younger. He had an appearance to uphold, after all. 

“You’re out and about at this time, plus I’m pretty sure that even though there might not be rules about,” he gestured vaguely, “roaming around in paintings, but the fact that you are doing it unsupervised and with no idea what could happen makes it a bit dangerous.” 

Minhee stayed quiet, face contemplative. Jungmo caught his eyes and tried to convey his sincerity through them. 

“I’m not trying to get you into trouble,” he said softly. “But I’m worried about you because neither of us knows how to deal with this, and I just want to make sure you can get out of there. Okay?” 

Minhee breathed deeply as he mulled over the prefect's words. Jungmo could see in his face how he was weighing his options, and he didn’t even feel offended. He knew that he could get Minhee into trouble if he alerted someone, and theoretically he should, to make sure nothing happened because of a blunder on their part. But at the same time he wanted to avoid this as much as possible because the boy had meant no harm - and, a small part of his brain said, because you like him. Maybe more than you should.

“Okay.” 

The Slytherin’s voice was soft, and slightly insecure, but his eyes were fixed on Jungmo. 

“I think the exit will be a painting as well, because the entrance was too. I have two theories: either, the exit has to be manipulated from the outside, or it doesn’t look like a painting world from the inside.”

He finished his little speech with a nod. Jungmo was lost.

“Elaborate, please,” he said and Minhee blushed slightly, realising he hadn’t really explained anything.

“The entrance I used is a manipulable painting - like the one to the kitchens.” 

“The one where you tickle the pear and it turns into a door handle?” the older asked and Minhee nodded. 

“The entrance was similar, in a way. So maybe, the exit will be the same. I mean, theoretically this is like a separate universe in a way, so maybe your way out would have to be manipulated by the world you want to go to?” 

Jungmo nodded, lips pursed and forehead creased. 

“That sounds kind of sensible,” he replied. “How do you figure it would work? Do I have to open a door for you?” 

Minhee frowned and then shook his head. 

“I don’t think so,” he said. “When you’re in a painting it’s like you’re in that world. And you can kind of see the border to the next like an invisible curtain - when you step through it you are in the next. And looking at you is kind of the same.”

Jungmo tilted his head as he thought about it. 

“So,” he said, “I might have to move the curtain?” 

The younger nodded. 

“If I try to reach through,” he said, “it’s like I place my hand on a window. Just less stable.” 

And true to his words, when he reached forward the surface of the painting seemed to ripple like water. But he stayed in it. 

“But I don’t technically belong here, so maybe I need something from outside to get me out?” 

The prefect nodded and stepped closer. 

“So like me trying to pull you out?” he asked and earned a nod. The boy took a deep breath and tried to calm himself as he stretched out his hand to touch - but there was only the dry texture of the painting under his fingers. Nothing else. His hand stilled on the painting. The texture was both rough and smooth, a weird kind of feeling.

“I can’t reach inside,” he stated, obviously, but still somehow baffled. Minhee frowned and stepped closer to the frame. 

“So that’s not it,” he mumbled and reached up, fingers gliding over the surface that rippled like water once more until his hand came closer to Jungmo’s that was still placed on the painting. 

“I guess we have to-” 

His words remained unfinished. The moment he reached the surface where the older was still touching, Jungmo’s hand sank through the surface into the painting. It was like a thick liquid, a strong resistance against his fingers. But suddenly they touched something warm. Fingers wrapped around his and laced their hands together. Minhee had grabbed Jungmo’s hand - now inside the painting. They stared at each other, gaping. 

“So we have to touch,” the Slytherin mumbled in awe. Jungmo just nodded before he slowly raised his other hand, placing it against the painting. 

“Try it,” he whispered. He didn’t quite trust his voice at the moment. Minhee glanced at him, but his hand moved upwards without hesitation - again, their fingers laced together. Minhee’s felt incredible warm against his, and for a moment Jungmo pondered if his own were just cold or if it was something else, but a light tug on his hands brought him back to reality. 

“Hyung,” the younger boy said. “Try pulling me out.” 

Jungmo nodded again and took a deep breath. There went nothing. He tightened the grip he had on Minhee’s hands and slowly pulled him toward the surface. He must have stepped closer to the painting without noticing - his arms had been sunk into the mirror-like surface up to the elbows. Minhee followed, stepping closer. They had almost reached the surface. 

A barrier. Minhee’s hand couldn’t pass through it. His hand slipped out of Jungmo’s grasp as the older withdrew it with a light gasp - he could leave, Minhee could not. So this didn’t work. He looked up. Minhee grinned dryly. 

“Oh oh,” he said lightly. Jungmo took a deep breath. 

“Plan B,” he said. “Find the exit painting then.” 

Minhee nodded, but he looked like he was barely holding onto his sanity and supposed calmness. His lower lip was pulled between his teeth and his hands were clenching and unclenching, one still holding on to Jungmo. The Ravenclaw sighed and stroked his thumb over the back of the boy’s hand. 

“Hey,” he said comfortingly. “Don’t worry. There has to be a way out. Your friends said so, after all, didn’t they? If someone came to meet them, they would have to leave somehow…”

Minhee’s eyes grew wider. 

“I’m an idiot,” he said. “I could ask Bartholomew! He probably knows!” 

Jungmo blinked. 

“Ask who now?” he inquired and Minhee grinned. 

“We gotta head to the fourth floor in the East wing. There is the painting of Bartholomew the bearded bard. He’s a good friend - and he knows more than anyone else I knew in here.”

He gestured around himself at his last words and the older understood. A knowledgeable painting, probably one of the older ones at that. And the East wing held class rooms - deserted around this time too. Closer to the Ravenclaw common room however. But Jungmo was a prefect after all, he wouldn’t get into trouble. He shot a look at Minhee.

“Let’s go to him then,” he said, “but make sure no one sees you. It’ll be hard to explain otherwise.”

“Yes, sir!” 

And with that the younger went running off, into the distance of the painting and towards the edge. Jungmo sighed and turned around himself, pulling his hand back. It was warmed up a bit now, after Minhee had held it for so long. 

He shook off the thought and headed off. There were boys to get out of paintings. 

Finding Bartholomew was easier than expected, and the old man was still awake and reading a book, a rather disheveled looking fox napping on his lap. He had been surprised when Jungmo stopped in front of him, but the surprise had turned into amusement when Minhee stumbled into his painting. His boisterous laugh had sounded down the hallway as he pulled out a little stool for Minhee. 

“So you figured it out!” he boomed. “Well done, boy, well done! That was much quicker than expected - I wasn’t giving you enough credit it seems.”

Minhee dropped onto the chair and panted. His way through the paintings had been longer because of the diverse shape of landscapes and perspectives. At least there hadn’t been any water paintings on his way, so he had stayed dry. Jungmo had kept an eye out for him, trying to keep up with his tempo or slow down if necessary. He had barely been able to suppress the worry stewing inside of him. Hopefully they would find an answer here. 

“We have a problem though,” Minhee said sheepishly and Bartholomew grinned. His beard was long and falling onto his chest, his dark brown robes were flowing onto the floor. He seemed impressive without being majestic. Instead, he exuded an aura of intelligence and empathy - Jungmo couldn’t help but like him immediately. Little things had given away the caring nature of the old man: the way he had directly put his book down when Jungmo arrived, how he had laughed but scanned Minhee for any injury when he had stumbled in, the way he had pushed a steaming cup of tea towards the boy as he sat down. 

“You need a way out,” Bartholomew hummed, stroking his beard. “It’s pretty straight-forward, I’m telling you. The only thing you need to get out is a door.” 

Jungmo raised an eyebrow. He had gotten so far, but Minhee was nodding again. 

“So we need another Hardaker?” he asked. “To the outside again, I presume.” 

A what now? Confusion took hold of the Ravenclaw, but the old man nodded approvingly at Minhee. 

“Right,” he said. “Amazing how quick you figured that out - I am impressed once again!”

Minhee smiled shyly and sipped at his tea. The old man looked at him fondly. 

“It’s late,” he said. “You should look at Perseus, the sky is clear. And Leo too, you might find something interesting there.” 

Now it was getting really weird. Jungmo was close to giving up and just getting help, but the concentrated look on Minhee’s face held him back. They were all silent for a minute until the younger boy nodded slowly. 

“I will,” he said and placed his teacup down. “Thank you for your help.” 

Without further ado he got up and smiled at the old man, who returned it, his wrinkly hands carding through the fur of the fox that was still napping in his lap. 

“Come to me whenever you need help,” he replied. “Or whenever you feel like it. It gets lonely around here sometimes.” 

Minhee nodded and grinned. 

“I will,” he promised and then looked at Jungmo. “Off we go, hyung!”

Jungmo blinked. 

“We’re going?” he asked and the younger nodded. 

“We got everything we needed,” he replied and the Ravenclaw grew even more confused. 

“We have?” he asked doubtfully after waving and smiling at the old man. Bartholomew waved back before he opened his book again. Minhee nodded. 

“We need to go to the North tower, and to the fifth floor there,” he claimed. Jungmo stopped. 

“Have I missed something?” he asked astoundedly. Minhee shook his head. 

“Bartholomew has been cursed,” he said. “He can only speak the truth when passing on information, but never say anything clearly. He literally speaks in riddles - actually, he’s been creating a lot of riddles for the Ravenclaw common room.” 

Jungmo gaped at him. 

“That sounds like a real curse,” he mumbled. “But you understand him?” 

Minhee shrugged. 

“It took time. I can tell you but let’s head off already, okay?” 

He stepped into the next frame, and Jungmo followed in the corridor, still hazy. 

“Figuring him out took time,” the younger explained as he skirted around sleeping people and through rooms and landscapes. “In the beginning I thought he was teasing me. But eventually, Mathilda - you know, the queen of England during the 12th or so century - explained it to me. Since then I have been practising with him, more or less - he gives me little tasks that I figure out and so I get to understand him.” 

Jungmo hummed at that. Amazing, to be able to immediately figure out the riddles the man spoke in. Speaking about it…

“Are you sneaking into the Ravenclaw tower too?” he asked teasingly and Minhee looked at him. 

“Hyung,” he said. “What do you take me for?”

His voice was dramatic, his hand placed upon his chest. He winked. 

“I haven’t, actually. I might have dropped the password for certain people now and again though.” 

Jungmo chuckled and the younger giggled. 

“You really are a Slytherin,” he said. Minhee nodded. 

“I can’t help but agree,” he said good-naturedly. Jungmo was by now climbing up the stairs to the north tower, while Minhee had fewer and fewer paintings to go through. He waited for the older in each of them. 

“You still haven’t explained,” Jungmo panted, “how you knew where to go.” 

Minhee stood, a soft smile on his face. 

“Perseus and Leo,” he said. “That was the hint.” 

He looked up. 

“Maybe you’ll figure it out yourself, hyung,” he said cheekily. “We’re here after all - next painting is mine. It’s in there.”

He pointed at the room and stepped into the side of the painting he was in, vanishing. Jungmo took two quick steps and opened the door to the room quickly, stepping inside. It was illuminated by candles and a fire, filled with book shelves, a desk and a large painting of a door that was just opening to release a white-haired boy into the room, the transition from two dimensional to three dimensional was strange to look at just as he stepped through the door. 

A shrill scream sounded. And Jungmo did what anyone would do in that situation. He screamed back. And so did Minhee. 

There was someone at the desk. A very familiar someone. Jungmo started connecting the points, frantically scrambling, but eventually it clicked. North Tower. An office. Stars. Someone screaming. The Astrology tower. This was Professor Ong’s office. How did he miss this obvious point?

Three screams cut off at almost the exact same time. Minhee was sitting on the floor, in front of the fireplace, Professor Ong was standing behind his desk and Jungmo was standing in the door. Silence reigned over the room as all three of them tried to process the situation. Minhee was the first to recover. 

“Evening, Professor,” he said lightly. “How are you?” 

Professor Ong’s face turned incredulous as he looked at the student on his floor, from his house. 

“Fine,” he said calmly. “Except that I aged about twenty years just now.” 

He dropped back into his chair and rubbed his hands over his face. 

“Jungmo, close the door please, and come here, both of you,” their teacher mumbled behind his hands and Jungmo followed his instruction, slowly and dreamlike while Minhee got up from the floor. They ended up standing in front of the Professor’s desk. He waved at them. 

“Sit down,” he said. “And explain.” 

Silence returned and the two boys exchanged awkward looks. Where to begin and what to say? Ong sighed again. 

“Is this a prank?” he asked tiredly, and both shook their heads quickly. 

“It really isn’t,” Minhee insisted. “We didn’t know where I’d end up.” 

Ong looked up at him. 

“From inside a painting.” 

Minhee nodded. 

“So you found the entrance.”

Again, the boy nodded. Jungmo felt the anxiety inside him rise. 

“Well done, I have to say. Though not exactly on par with school rules,” Ong continued. “You should be in bed after all.”

Awkward silence. Minhee swallowed. 

“I’m presuming from Jungmo’s presence here you were figuring out how to get you out of there-” he pointed at the painting “-and back into your common room, right?” 

They nodded. Ong sighed again. 

“Okay, boys,” he said and leaned forward. “Theoretically, you should be in deep trouble. Out at this time, wandering through paintings, disturbing my studies - especially the last one is a grave offence.” 

The tired smile on their Professor’s face took away some of the fear. Jungmo dared to breathe normally again. 

“I have to admit I am impressed, and I actually have to believe it when you say you weren’t planning anything. So the only trouble you’re in is unusual magic without supervision and out of bed.” 

Minhee nodded slowly. Ong sighed again. 

“Okay,” he said. “Let’s do it like this: This kind of magic is not common knowledge. It has risks and it wouldn’t be good either if the whole student body starts stumbling through paintings, right?” 

Both nodded. 

“I want both of your promises then: you are not telling anybody about this, okay?” 

Both nodded again, more determined this time. Ong nodded along. 

“Okay. So, both of you get points deducted - I’m sure you understand. Minhee, you were out and doing something that is questionable: 40 points for you. Jungmo, I expected you to act differently as a prefect - this could have been risky. 20 points from Ravenclaw. And I want both of you here in my office tomorrow afternoon, okay? To talk about all of this.” 

They nodded again, more hesitantly this time. Ong studied them, his eyes piercing. 

“I don’t want to keep you two up too long tonight, you have school tomorrow. But there are things we need to discuss on this. Understood?” 

His tone wasn’t open to any protests, but both boys couldn’t help to agree anyway. All things considered, they got off more than mildly. 

“Thank you, Professor,” Jungmo mumbled and Minhee nodded. Ong sighed again - he was doing this a lot tonight. 

“Alright then,” he said in a lighter tone, “off to bed now, both of you.” 

They hurriedly got up from their seats, heading for the door and slipping through it with a mumbled “Goodnight”. Ong just waved them off. Outside, they stood for a moment and looked at each other. Eventually, laughter, barely suppressed, tumbled out of them. Jungmo grabbed Minhee’s arm and pulled him down the stairs with him. 

“This,” he said breathlessly, “was both unexpected and incredibly scary.”

Minhee chuckled next to him as he hummed in agreement. 

“He really let us off easy,” he said and Jungmo nodded. They went down the rest of the stairs in silence. In the corridor Minhee slowed down, but Jungmo gently grabbed his wrist over his sleeve and pulled him along. 

“I’ll take you home,” he explained. “You’d get into trouble if someone caught you now.” 

Minhee nodded thankfully and stepped up to keep up with Jungmo. His wrist slipped out of the older’s grasp but instead of retreating, he laced their hands together for a moment. A smile bloomed on his face and Jungmo saw it when he glanced over. The heat in his cheeks was indisputably there. 

Their trek down to the Slytherin common room was in comfortable silence. When they were near the entrance, Minhee chuckled. 

“This is becoming a tradition,” he said and Jungmo chuckled.

“True,” he admitted. “I’ve brought you back here a few times.” 

Their steps slowed as they approached the entrance behind the tapestry. Minhee looked at Jungmo, eyes glistening intently as he focussed on the older. Jungmo looked over - only to avert his eyes again. He felt shy under the intense gaze. But Minhee didn’t look away. So he faced him. They had come to a stop in front of the tapestry. 

“I think,” Minhee said quietly, “there might be something wrong with my eyes.” 

Jungmo’s eyes widened at the words and he reached up, with his free hand (How was he still holding Minhee’s hand?) and brushed his fingers along the boy’s temple, scanning for any injury. 

“Why?” he asked. Minhee grinned. 

“I can’t take them off of you,” he said slyly. Jungmo stopped in his fussing and stared at the boy, a flush crawling up his cheeks. He took a deep breath and lightly flicked the younger against his temple. 

“I was actually worried,” he complained but even he couldn’t deny the fondness in his own words. Minhee’s grin turned into a blinding smile. 

“Don’t,” he said quietly, head leaning somewhat closer. “I’m fine, really.” 

Jungmo shook his head and dropped his hand, gently pushing against the boy’s chest to make him step back. The proximity made him more flustered than he cared to admit - but he also had to get the younger to go to bed. 

“Go sleep,” he said softly and pointed at the tapestry. Minhee looked like he was considering protest but gave in. He nodded and glanced at the door, mumbling the password (Proxima Centauri) and the door slid open. He looked back at the older Ravenclaw who took a small step back, as if to convince the boy to head off. 

“Sleep well,” Minhee said with a smile and Jungmo nodded at him. 

“You too.”

The Slytherin turned around and stepped into the doorway as Jungmo turned around to head off himself, slowly to hear the door closing. He didn’t, however. Instead, an all encompassing pull took hold of his body and he stumbled backwards, turning around in the process - only to see Minhee suffering the same fate. The boy was barely holding himself upright in the door frame. 

“Huh,” he said intelligently. “What was that?” 

Jungmo shook his head, his heart beat racing. What had just happened? He took a step back again, looking at Minhee. 

“Stay there,” he said. “I want to try if I can…” 

He left the sentence hanging there, unspoken. Minhee nodded, and Jungmo took another step backwards, slowly. They were more than a metre apart from each other. Another small step, and the distance increased. Almost two metres. Nothing. 

He took another step, but as soon as the distance seemed to exceed a certain limit, the pull returned and he stumbled forward, almost losing his balance. Hands on his upper arms stabilised him. Minhee had stepped closer and Jungmo looked up at him. 

Confusion, surprise and something that might be a sliver of fear was swimming in the younger’s eyes. He swallowed. Minhee took a deep breath. 

“I think,” he said slowly, “we might have a problem.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wednesday or Thursday will be the next upload date, so what do you think will happen? Do you have an idea how Minhee figured out what was meant? Can you solve the riddle? Tell us in the comments or on Twitter (@chaos_kisses)


	26. Tea at midnight and Riddles - Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We promised you a second part - and here it is! The (supposedly) good thing: more to read for you. The downside: this is a very theoretical chapter on the workings of magic and everything, along with a little history lesson. Why? Because I wanted to properly explain how everything fell together and not just go "it's magic" and leave it at that. And my inner history nerd might have jumped out.  
Anyways, off we go!

Morning brought about interesting sights in Hogwarts. Among students getting up and more or less groggily stumbling towards the Great Hall for breakfast before school started, their teachers migrated to that same place in also varying states of consciousness - just better masked most of the time. One of them, a certain Ong Seongwoo of Slytherin, had just taken his usual place at the long table along with Kang Daniel of Gryffindor by his side - something that still amazed the younger students at Hogwarts, with Slytherin and Gryffindor being known more along the lines of rivals. The more they got to know their teachers, however, they learned that the rivalry still persisted strongly. It just wasn’t the defining factor any longer.

But back to our story. As the two men sat down, Ong Seongwoo had just been in the middle of telling a rather unusual story, even for Hogwarts. It wasn’t every day that a student came tumbling out of a painting while another barged in through the door - especially not in the middle of the night into a teacher’s office. He had been sufficiently baffled by the occurrence, equal parts amused and worried, as he recounted after quickly outlining the story for his colleagues at the table. 

Amused because the two students had looked rather downtrodden and baffled at the sight of their teacher and at being caught. They had screeched in surprise - Professor Ong did not mention that he had added to their screams in his own surprise, though the others knew him well enough to expect it at this point - and if he didn’t have to deal with the whole situation he would have put his first focus into laughing and calming them down. But alas, as the house teacher of one of them and a teacher in general he couldn’t just let them off like this. He had to uphold order after all. At this, professor Choi Yoojung had snorted and almost spat out her tea, concealing it with a cough. Professor Kim Doyeon beside her had chuckled and patted her back, muffling her own giggles into her sleeve. 

The worry Professor Ong had mentioned earlier had stemmed from the fact that a student had somehow managed to not only discover the possibility to enter the paintings but had also managed to find the entrance, enter and come out again. It was equal parts impressive and worrisome because the painting world held more than just a few dangers of getting lost and there was more to the pathways that his student had been aware of, he was sure. 

At this point, Professor Kim Chungha had looked up and added that one should not underestimate Kang Minhee for he was smarter than most gave him credit, but in rather unusual ways. She had noticed how he seemed to possess an innate understanding of complex systems, but had trouble with concentrated and fixed units of study. Professor Ong had nodded approvingly, but had mentioned that it was still unlikely for him to have figured out everything at that point, to which his colleague for Transfiguration could only agree. 

The teacher’s table sank back into a comfortable quiet after that and stayed like this for a minute - until Professor Ha Sungwoon suddenly flinched and shot up. His eyes focussed on Professor Ong with a piercing intensity and he asked in a voice that seemed to vibrate with a certain but for now unclear emotion if he had heard right - there had been two students. 

Professor Ong had nodded. He recounted how it was only one that had come out of the painting at that time, but the other had come in the same moment - and in the following talk he had clearly been aware of the other boy in the painting. Plus, he had offered no accusations of any kind. Professor Ong had come to the conclusion that Koo Jungmo had probably encountered Minhee and tried to help him, or at least accompanied him to the exit. 

Professor Kim Chungha had once again looked up at the name of the second student, clearly remembering how she had asked Koo Jungmo to tutor Minhee and how the older had agreed but later reported that the boy seemed opposed initially when she asked him how it went. She was just about to say how it seemed these two were getting along and that he might be a reason for Minhee’s recent improvement when Professor Ha Sungwoon interrupted her. The expert for magic history seemed agitated. 

If the second student had come running in, he inquired, at the same time? And he was sure they had been together before? Did Ong notice anything? The Astronomy teacher looked taken aback at the sudden crossfire of questions but negated the last bit. He hadn’t noticed anything out of the ordinary. Had he seen the students today, Ha Sungwoon asked further? Was anything there? Again he negated, now asking the other teacher what he was going on about. 

They might be in a bit of a bind, the man replied and got up. They would have to find the students and ask them. At his words, their respective house teachers started scanning the tables of their houses but neither discovered the boys in question. Their result had Ha Sungwoon nod and push back his chair. Then they would have to find them in the castle. Check their classes first, maybe. Just as both Professor Chungha and Seongwoo got up, the two students in question stepped into the entrance of the Great Hall. 

  
  


Minhee felt tired. Not surprising, considering he hadn’t slept much, curled up on a sofa in the common room, up until the wee hours of the morning and only falling asleep when the black of the sky had slowly started fading to grey with the first light peeking over the horizon. Not like he had really seen anything from the Slytherin common room. Underground and all. 

Jungmo didn’t look much better than him. They had stayed up, trying to figure out a spell to stop the spell, apparently binding them together. But they had failed for now, and nothing could separate them. They had tested several times but the results stayed the same. They were bound to each other. They had eventually fallen asleep on the sofa in front of the glowing embers of the fireplace. The voices of Slytherin students getting up in the morning had roused them from their rather short slumber. 

Minhee had been greeted with the sight of a bleary Jungmo blinking open his eyes, his hair sticking up on one side and a crease in his cheek from where it had been smushed into a pillow. He could guess that he himself didn’t look much better. 

“What are you two doing here?” the voice of Hyeop had asked behind them a moment later. His friend was standing behind Minhee, looking at them curiously, eyes scanning their sleepy faces and the sofa. Minhee could practically hear him suppress a comment. Jungmo had smiled at the boy. 

“We fell asleep here, talking,” he explained. It wasn’t even a lie, Minhee noticed. Just some details withheld. He nodded approvingly, eyes half closed and his mind already heading back to dreamland. He wasn’t ready to get up yet. Through his eyelashes he had seen Jungmo smile at the sight of him and look back at Hyeop.

“Head off to breakfast already,” he had said. “I’ll make sure he gets there on time.” 

He knew the older had meant him but Minhee just hummed his disapproval. Sleep sounded much better than heading off somewhere. He was sure that the sweet voice he heard was his bed calling for him. But it turned out to be Jungmo instead. The voice was the same though. Thank god he was too tired to blush. 

“Minnie,” the Ravenclaw had said quietly, “come on. Everyone’s gone already. We gotta get up.” 

What? Everyone had just been there a second ago. They had time. A warm hand softly carded through his hair, smoothing down some strands. Minhee groaned at the continued mutters of how he had to get up. He let his head fall from the back of the couch to the slightly hard pillow beside him, nuzzling into the fabric. 

A giggle sounded, closer this time. The pillow moved. Oh. This wasn’t a pillow. 

Minhee had lifted his head slowly and looked up at the older who was smiling softly. He looked very tired, eyes almost swollen and a bit paler than usually. But his smile was so very fond. 

“Come on,” he had said again. “We have to go at some point.” 

Eventually Minhee had complied and they had headed to the washroom. They still couldn’t separate, but for now he was thankful for the two metres. It made everything a bit easier, being able to be in separate showering stalls at least. Minhee had handed Jungmo the spare toothbrush he had in his stash and they had both tried to get through their morning routine as quickly as possible for now. Minhee had offered to head to the Ravenclaw tower quickly for Jungmo to change but the older had refused. 

“We should get some teachers to look at this as quickly as possible,” he had muttered, gesturing at the space between them. “And there’s not much time left before class. So we should head off now - explaining will be hard enough as it is.” 

Minhee couldn’t help agreeing. He didn’t have that much mental capacity without his coffee anyways. So off they went. And so they ended up here, in the entrance of the Great Hall, while at the teachers table the eyes of Professors Ong, Kim and Ha fixed on them and the three teachers swiftly made their way towards them. Jungmo grabbed Minhee’s wrist as if to stop him from running away, but the younger hadn’t thought of doing so anyways. He glanced at the older who had schooled his expression into something carefully neutral. Only his eyes betrayed his nervousness. 

Professor Ha reached them first, his steps picking up speed as he approached them. 

“Follow me please, boys,” he said in a quick but tense voice. The boys exchanged a glance but turned around and followed without protest, followed by their house teachers. This really didn’t look too good. 

Professor Ha led them through the castle towards his study: a room with extraordinarily high ceilings filled with bookshelves that seemed to vanish from how high they were. All of them were stuffed with books and papers, with little folded paper planes zipping around in between them. Sometimes a book would leave its assigned place and flutter to another shelf like an oversized butterfly and Minhee was sure that he had seen a little figure climb along a shelf, half shrouded in twilight. But before he could spot it again Jungmo had pulled him to sit down on the sofa that was in the little seating group in a corner. Their Professors sat down on the remaining furniture and Professor Kim looked at them inquisitively before she flicked her wand and a tea set appeared on the table, two filled cups hovering to land in front of him and Jungmo. He sent a thankful smile in her direction. 

Professor Ha had pulled over his chair and swatted off a book that came fluttering towards him like an excited pet. It was still hovering above his head but was leaving him alone. 

“In how much trouble are we?” Jungmo asked. His voice was stable, but the way he was tightly clasping his hands betrayed his apparent calmness. Professor Ha sighed and leaned forward. 

“That depends,” he said. “I hope as few as possible, and to calm you down, we are not here to create more trouble for you. But” - he looked between them with raised eyebrows and a serious expression - “we need you to be absolutely honest with us.”

Minhee nodded and Jungmo did the same. Professor Ha smiled lightly.

“Okay, let’s get started then. Who of you figured it out?” 

Minhee blinked. 

“Figured what out?” he asked. “Is this about the paintings?” 

Professor Ha nodded. Minhee felt nervous all of a sudden. 

“Me,” he whispered and averted his eyes. Jungmo shifted beside him and suddenly he was closer - not quite touching but Minhee could feel the warmth of his body next to him. It was grounding in a way. 

“I figured it out from what the paintings told me. It took a while, but I eventually got it and I just thought ‘why not try it?’ and so I went in there and met Jungmo on the way but I swear-” 

He knew he was rambling by now but the words kept pouring out. 

“I swear I wasn’t planning anything, I wasn’t thinking of doing anything! I just wanted to try if it works and it was so amazing so I just wandered around and-” 

Professor Ha lifted a hand and Minhee stopped in his rambles. His hands were tightly clasping the seam of his school shirt. There was fear slowly creeping up inside him as he kept his eyes focussed on his lap. 

“Minhee,” Professor Ong said calmly and he looked up at his house teacher. He looked surprisingly calm, surprised even. But the small smile on his face was reassuring. 

“It’s alright, we just need to know.” 

Professor Ha nodded along. 

“There is a reason why there are no books in the library on painting tunnels,” he said. “And even if there were, I have to say I am more than a little impressed that you figured it out by yourself. You said some paintings mentioned it?” 

Minhee nodded, but hesitated. Would he get these paintings into trouble if he said who they were? Professor Ha apparently understood his hesitation. 

“Let me explain first,” he said. “What you discovered - painting tunnels - is a magic form that is not used anymore. The spell for its setup has been lost and the only painting tunnels we still know are very old. Like the ones in Hogwarts. Back in the day they were used to assure secret passages for an evacuation in case the security spells were broken. That was before the spells were elaborate enough to be enough of a wall against outside forces.”

Minhee nodded, amazed at this information. 

“During the time of Voldemort’s first era, the tunnels were sealed off. Originally, the exit painting was located somewhere else to function properly as a security exit. But with the right spells it could have been reversed to work as an entrance and would have granted him or the Death Eaters entrance to the school. During his second era, it was feared that he might discover this magic and use it as a means of surveillance - but it turned out he never found it. It stayed secret.” 

Jungmo glanced at Minhee when the younger looked at him with wide eyes. This really was an unexpected development - but it explained why Professor Ong had been that worried yesterday and had ordered them to stay quiet about it. 

“Recently,” Professor Ha continued, “we have conducted some research as several ancient painting tunnels showed expansion - on their own. It was being monitored for a while until we checked in Hogwarts too and it turned out that some tunnels had expanded and connected to new paintings that were further away - outside of the castle.”

That was a worrying development. They lived in a peaceful era, but that still didn’t mean that there was nothing to worry about. And the school being potentially accessed secretly was worrisome.

“We couldn’t seal all of these paintings,” Professor Kim added, “but we were able to set up a security network in these tunnels that if they were being compromised we’d be alerted and the intruder trapped.” 

Minhee paled at her words and Jungmo flinched. Professor Kim studied them and her voice became softer. 

“I see I scared you,” she said. “But it’s good that both of you are aware of the potential danger behind this. Now the reason we are questioning you about this because the paintings themselves are unaware of these facts.”

Professor Ha nodded and continued. 

“They seem to be on the same plane of existence, but actually the tunnels work differently. They serve as a connection of the places where the paintings are located while the paintings connect each other - it’s very metaphysical multidimensional.”

He paused for a moment, getting back on track. 

“So we need to make them aware of it, it seems. At least the ones that told you, Minhee, so that they don’t accidentally endanger anyone. We need their names so we can talk to them.”

Minhee nodded. It definitely made sense, and he had no reason not to believe his teachers. He exchanged a look with Jungmo. The older nodded slightly at him and Minhee drew in breath. 

“Bartholomew the Riddled,” he started. “He mentioned it when he told me about a friend that used to visit him - but apparently it was many years ago.” 

The teachers nodded, and Professor Ong raised an eyebrow. 

“I never got a word of what this man was telling me,” he said. “But I guess there’s a reason I didn’t become a Ravenclaw.” 

Minhee couldn’t suppress his giggle. The atmosphere had become a bit lighter. 

“Queen Matilda of England,” he continued. “She explained some of the things Bartholomew told me when I didn’t really understand his riddles. And Rob.” 

Professor Ha blinked.

“Rob?” he asked and Minhee nodded shyly. 

“He introduced himself as Rob, I don’t know his full name. But he’s always with Matilda.”

Professor Kim and Ong exchanged confused looks but Professor Ha was chewing on his lower lip. Then he snapped and waved his hand around. The book above him seemed to perk up and flutter excitedly. 

“Get ‘The Civil War of England’ here for me please, I gotta look something up.” 

The book flew off and came back just a bit later with an old heavy one following sluggishly behind. The larger volume landed on Professor Ha’s lap and he started flipping through the pages quickly until he found what he was looking for. 

“Is this Rob?” he asked and turned the book around for Minhee to look at. The boy leaned forward and studied the painting. It was in typical middle ages style, not very distinct. But he knew this gray longish hair and beard, along with the clothes - and more importantly the emblem stitched into it: three lions and three french lilies. He nodded and looked up. 

“That’s him,” he said. “I’m pretty sure.” 

Professor Ha nodded. 

“Alright,” he said. “Then the last person who visited Bartholomew was many centuries ago, I think. Probably during the reign of Henry VIII. Did he ever mention a certain Anne?” 

Minhee blinked. 

“He did,” he replied. “He talked about ‘Annie’. Why, who is he? Who was she?”

“Roberts, the Earl of Gloucester,” Professor Ha said and leaned back. “The most loyal supporter of Queen Matilda in the Civil War of England back in the 12th century. Bartholomew the Riddled was one of her knights - but it was mostly a cover. He was actually a wizard who supported the Queen.” 

Minhee felt his mouth fall open. That was more than unexpected. He had known that Matilda had been Queen, but he hadn’t known about the others - or their importance to her. 

“They are also one of the few paintings I know that are aware of the tunnels in Hogwarts and their workings,” Professor Ha said thoughtfully. “They used that system back then to get Matilda out of Oxford castle when she was trapped there. It’s said she escaped over the wall, but they went through the paintings, got out behind the walls and fled over the river. The knights that accompanied her were Robert and Bartholomew - Robert had found the entrance, coincidentally located in France, where he was at the time to support Geoffry.” 

Jungmo gaped, and Minhee couldn’t help but grow excited. 

“Was Rob a wizard too?” he asked. “He never told me.” 

Porfessor Ha chuckled. 

“He wasn’t,” he explained, “but he had a certain affinity to magic energy and precognition. Back then, they said his instinct was amazing and it led him to victory in many battles. He practically felt his way back there and Batholomew continued on.” 

“Wow,” Minhee gasped and fell back into the sofa. Everything else, including his initial fear, was forgotten. He mulled everything over before he perked up again. 

“But who’s Annie?” he asked. Professor Ha grinned.

“Does the name Anne Boleyn ring a bell?” he asked and Minhee shot up again. 

“The second wife of Henry VIII?” he asked and Jungmo gasped beside him. 

“They were always saying she was a witch because of her sixth finger,” the older said and Professor Ha chuckled dryly. 

“She _ was _ a witch, but it was not indicated by her finger. That was just a birth defect. She used the paintings to get around the castle, and she attempted to flee through it when she was accused of treason, but someone else - we don’t know who - betrayed her and locked her in a room without a painting.” 

Jungmo seemed just as stunned as Minhee was at all these revelations. There was so much more behind these paintings and their tunnels than they had ever expected to discover. But there was still a problem to solve. Jungmo was the first to recover. 

“There is something else,” the Ravenclaw started saying slowly and immediately all eyes were on him. The boy swallowed.

“Since last night,” he started, “we are kinda...stuck. Together.” 

“I already feared that,” Professor Ha sighed and now all eyes were on him, including the two other Professors. All equal in their surprise. 

“You touched, didn’t you?” he asked and looked at the two boys. “Jungmo, you probably tried to get Minhee out, but it didn’t work?” 

Both boys nodded, wide eyed and surprised. 

“Which painting was it?” their teacher asked. Jungmo thought for a moment and then answered. 

“A pasture, back in the West Wing, in a gallery corridor. There were mainly landscapes, and the one we touched was a typical English scene I think.”

Minhee nodded next to him. Professor Ha looked at him. 

“Minhee,” he started, “did the painting have a kind of homey feeling? Like something familiar?” 

Minhee’s eyes widened but he nodded. The painting had felt familiar, in a way he couldn’t explain. Professor Ha nodded and looked back at Jungmo. 

“And you are sure that it was in the West Wing?” he asked and the Ravenclaw nodded. The teacher sighed. 

“You are lucky,” he said. “You’ll be stuck for two weeks. Then the connection will disappear. But beforehand, it will shorten considerably. Probably about a metre.” 

.oO°Oo.

The hardest bit had been coming up with an explanation for their friends as to why Jungmo and Minhee were suddenly stuck to each other. And why it would stay for two weeks. They settled on a charm gone wrong late at night - an appropriate reason as to why they had slept in the common room the previous night. Their explanation that the teachers couldn't solve it because apparently they had tapered into some complicated charms had elicited mixed reactions, ranging from doubtful to fully accepting. In the end, it had been Wonjin who had saved them from further explanations. 

“I’m not surprised,” the boy had said. Most of their friends had gathered in the Hufflepuff common room again, with Seungwoo fussing over them like a worried mother hen and Wooseok ranging somewhere between worried and exasperated. He had groaned at their explanation but had come up to Jungmo later to ask him if he was okay, and had stayed close to the boy - who had promptly used the opportunity to weedle some affection out of the older boy. Minhee had been amazed by it - and maybe a bit jealous. But he had suppressed that feeling and leant into Hangyul’s side who for once seemed about as worried as Seungwoo. Might as well get something out of it apart from a scolding. 

Wonjin’s words had resulted in the demand for an explanation, but the Slytherin had just petted Hyeongjun’s head (the boy was curled up in his cat form) and shrugged. 

“Minhee once managed to transfigure a cauldron into a pink talking flower that was spewing around the drought we had been making - and the drought was perfect suddenly when before it shouldn’t have been close to the supposed end result. There was just the issue with the flower.”

He had grinned at his friend. 

“He has some weird magic sometimes,” he concluded, “but powerful. So yeah, not surprised.” 

Silence had taken over after he had finished. Seungwoo had sighed (again) and looked at them. 

“Have you thought about how you are going to arrange everything?” he asked and Jungmo shrugged slightly, still nestled into Wooseok’s side who was carding a hand through his hair. The headboy seemed somewhat absent, eyes far away and only half listening. Minhee wasn’t sure if he was worried or if it was something else. 

“We will have to arrange our schedule,” Jungmo said. “We got lucky today, because Minnie had several free periods, so we could switch around but we’ll have to decide which classes to attend and how to arrange it.” 

“And it’s only for two weeks,” Minhee added in. “Today’s Friday, so we can use the weekend to figure it out and then see how it works.”

“Exactly,” Jungmo agreed. Hums of agreement sounded around the room. Suddenly, Seungyoun spoke up from where he was splayed over a sofa. His voice sounded teasing. 

“What about the rest though?” he asked with a devilish grin. “School - well, you got that figured out. And it doesn’t matter where you sit for the meals. But what about sleeping? Bathroom?”

Minhee felt his cheeks grow hot and saw Jungmo shrink in on himself from the corner of his eye. They had carefully avoided that topic for now, but obviously they would have to talk about it. Hyeop nodded along to Seungyoun’s words, though more serious. 

“You can’t stay in the Common Room for two weeks,” he said. “You have to figure that out.” 

Seungwoo nodded. 

“You should probably decide on one dorm to stay at, depending which would be easier to organise,” he proposed and Minhee nodded slowly. The heat hadn’t receded from his cheeks, but Jungmo wasn’t faring much better. He wasn’t sure what the better idea for them would be either - which dorm would prove better? 

Suddenly Wooseok spoke up. His voice was calm and levelled, but quiet. 

“Maybe that’s just me but I think the Ravenclaw dorm might be better,” he said. “This is not about Slytherin, but the fact that Mogu is also a prefect - he’ll have duties to attend to and people will come to find him. It’s only for two weeks, but it might be easier to stay with us for that time.” 

The last part was directed at Minhee as the older looked at the Slytherin boy. And if put like this, he actually couldn’t help but to agree. It made sense, and it was not like he really minded. Jungmo studied him shortly before he spoke. 

“It’s an idea,” he said, “but you need to be comfortable with it. So be honest.”

Minhee looked at him. The worry in Jungmo’s warm eyes was clearly visible and Minhee’s heart beat a little higher at the sight. But he smiled instead. 

“I’d be fine with it,” he replied. “Wooseok is right, I think. The question is if you mind - which would be fine by the way.” 

But Jungmo shook his head immediately with a smile. 

“I’m fine with that too,” he replied. His smile grew a little softer and Minhee smiled back at him. The worry in Jungmo’s eyes vanished and instead warmth remained. Minhee felt like he was being pulled in - but this time it was not their connection from the paintings. 

Someone cleared their throat and he was brought back to reality. There were still people around them, while he and Jungmo were just smiling at each other. He cleared his throat awkwardly, while Jungmo turned back to look at the others. Minhee followed his example and saw that most of them were in varying states of amusement. Seungwoo smiled and nodded. 

“If that is out of the way we got a start at least,” he said. “You’ll need to figure out the rest along the way.” 

“Right,” Jinhyuk spoke up from the sofa he perched on next to Seungwoo. “How much leeway do you have? How does this whole thing work?” 

Jungmoo glanced over at Minhee who promptly blushed at the thought of the leeway they had. 

“About one metre,” Jungmo replied to Jinhyuk. “It was longer initially, but it shortened. But apparently it will stay like this and not get shorter.”

A memory flashed through Minhee’s head: Jungmo stumbling towards him in the hallway yesterday night when they first discovered the bond, the several times they tested only to get pulled back together. And today in the hallway, on their way to the Ravenclaw tower to get Jungmo’s books. Class had been in session so no one had been out when Minhee hadn’t noticed Jungmo getting slower for a moment and had stepped ahead - only to be pulled back. The older had caught him, arms wrapped around Minhee’s waist from behind, holding him up. He had felt the older’s warm breath against the back of his neck from the proximity and they had untangled quickly, not exchanging any comment on it apart from Jungmo asking if he was alright. 

“Why is Minnie blushing?” Eunsang asked suddenly and Minhee looked up. His friend had just come in with Junho and Yohan trailing behind him, plopping down onto a sofa. Junho studied Minhee for a second before he smirked. Minhee groaned and hid his face in his hands. He heard Yohan giggle when Junho mumbled something - too quiet for the rest of the room. 

“Don’t tease him, Sangie,” Jungmo scolded the younger Ravenclaw, but when Minhee looked up he could see a hint of pink on the older’s cheeks. He had probably been reminded of the encounter in the afternoon. It had been so short and unexpected, but it had left Minhee flustered to an unhealthy extent. 

A feeling he was sure he would encounter many more times in the days to come. Nothing to change that. 

  
  


They stayed in the Hufflepuff common room for a bit more, until it was time for dinner and they all trudged up the stairs to head for the Great Hall. Jungmo and Minhee had stopped for a second when they both realized that they would have to decide on a table but Seungwoo had just pulled them along to the Hufflepuff table and sat down. 

“Neutral territory,” he had said sarcastically, “until you have decided.” 

Minhee felt thankful to the older boy for taking the decision from them for now. He was still trying to figure out how to deal with everything and he was pretty sure Jungmo was feeling the same. It was a bit tense at the moment, both unsure how to act around the other and how much distance to leave. They had ambled around each other awkwardly on the way to dinner in an attempt to find a comfortable distance while walking, both flinching and slightly blushing when their hands had brushed for a moment. Minhee was pretty sure he had heard Seungyoun snort at that and Hangyul whacked him in the head for it. 

Dinner was a rather relaxed business. With them being seated the issue of distance (or lack of it) was not important and conversation flowed easily. Eventually Seungwoo had looked at them with a smile that barely hid his amusement at the situation. Over time the initial worry of the older boy had gradually decreased and made room for open amusement over their predicament. 

“You’ll have to get Minhee’s stuff from his common room,” he had reminded them, after a short exchange of glances Minhee and Jungmo had taken off to do exactly that. They were in luck too: the Slytherin common room was almost deserted and that meant less people to explain to why Minhee was packing some clothes and other utensils in a duffle bag and grabbed his school bag too. They made their way up to the Ravenclaw common room (considerably less empty) where they had been intercepted by Wooseok again. The older still looked somewhat absent, but he had put a comforting hand on both Jungmo’s and Minhee’s arm. 

“I talked to the rest of your roommates already, Mogu,” he had said quietly. “They know so you won’t have to explain anything.” 

Jungmo nodded thankfully and Wooseok added, like an afterthought: “Tell me if anyone’s giving you shit, and they will regret it.” 

Minhee had felt taken aback but the moment had dissolved when Sejin had approached them and thrown an arm over Wooseok’s shoulder. 

“Calm down, Woosatan,” the older had said and Minhee had to suppress a laugh. “You can beat up people if they deserve it but for now you have a date with Seungwoo and me.” 

Wooseok had seemed slightly surprised but masked it quickly enough when he was whisked away. Jungmo had smiled after him. 

“Wooseok is less scary than he seems,” he said to Minhee in a conspiratorial voice. “Actually, he’s a softie.” 

Minhee had giggled and followed the older up the stairs to the dorm rooms, where they entered the sixth year dorm. It was circular and Jungmo’s bed was the second to the left. His bed was made but there was a lot of clutter strewn over the drawer beside his bed. Several books and papers were stacked up in haphazard towers around his bed and some clothes were strewn over the stool next to the drawer. Jungmo had blushed. 

“I’m not really tidy,” he had explained while grabbing the robes on the stool and folding them as if it would make the rest disappear. Minhee just grinned at him. 

“I don’t mind,” he had replied and placed down his school bag and the duffle bag. “As long as we still fit in the bed.” 

His brain to mouth filter had apparently abandoned ship once more. The implications of his words hung between them as they stared at each other for a second - until Jungmo broke out laughing. The air between them cleared as he giggled uncontrollably and Minhee couldn’t hold his own laughter back anymore. Eventually Jungmo had looked up again, his cheeks flushed - but from laughter this time. 

“Alright, Casanova,” he had said with a grin. “I think we can manage that. But how about joining the others in the common room for now?” 

Minhee had agreed easily and they had headed down. He had felt relieved that a lot of the awkwardness had disappeared - for now at least. 

They stayed up late again, talking and playing wizard chess, Jungmo teaching Minhee and pitting him against Junho and Sihoon. It took a few rounds but eventually Minhee caught the gist of it - and then he somehow managed to not only have the old pieces follow his orders as if they had known him forever, but started unexpected maneuvers that drove Junho to desperation. Eventually they swapped to exploding snap so the other didn’t burst a vessel. 

As it was going towards midnight, the common room started to clear out more and more and eventually both Sihoon and Junho bid them goodnight to head off too. Jungmo and Minhee were almost the last ones apart from some sleepy seventh years in the corner still brooding over homework. They were curled up on a loveseat, still close enough to each other to not be pulled back again, with Jungmo snuggled under a blanket and Minhee curled up into the pillows. 

“You still haven’t told me the answer to the riddle Bartholomew gave you,” Jungmo said quietly. Minhee looked at him. The fire was illuminating the older boy’s features as more and more candles in the room were going out and less light remained. The flames were painting warm colours over his features. 

“You haven’t figured it out?” he asked teasingly and Jungmo smiled tiredly. 

“I told you,” he said. “The only thing I came up with was it was the North tower because of it being used for astronomy. But how did you figure it out? How did you know it was the fifth floor?” 

Minhee chuckled and sat up a bit more with his feet tucked underneath himself, while Jungmo sat sideways to look at him. He smiled slightly. 

“Tell me,” he asked again, imploringly. And Minhee gave in. 

“Do you remember what he said exactly?” he asked and Jungmo shrugged. 

“Something about Perseus being good to see and to look at Leo too,” he recalled and Minhee nodded slowly.

“‘You should look at Perseus, the sky is clear. And Leo too, you might find something interesting there’,” he quoted the painting. Jungmo tilted his head. 

“Bartholomew likes to use sentence structures for hints,” the younger started. “Perseus is surrounded by four words on each side, so it’s in the middle. And it’s the longest word in the sentence.”

Jungmo raised an eyebrow. Minhee grinned tiredly. 

“It took me a while to understand him, I told you. You have to listen to what he says, really listen I mean,” he explained. “You were right about the astronomy bit - we need it here. We need Perseus to be in the centre of it, which he is in the winter sky of the northern Hemisphere.” 

Jungmo’s eyes widened. 

“I can’t believe you remembered that!” he commented. Minhee shrugged. 

“Rob told me a lot about the stars, how he used them to navigate. He liked Perseus for some reason. I guess that’s also why Bartholomew chose him - I would understand.” 

Jungmo hummed in understanding. 

“So Perseus is the longest word and in the centre of the Northern Hemisphere - so we needed the highest point towards the north?” he concluded. “Which is the North Tower.”

Minhee nodded. 

“And Leo is the fifth sign in the zodiac order,” he continued. Jungmo bit his lip. 

“But why the fifth floor?” he asked. “It could have been the fifth painting, or room too.”

Minhee nodded again. 

“True,” he replied, “but he said ‘the sky is clear’ when talking about Perseus. The direction of everything was upwards, not horizontal. So the fifth floor. At least that’s what I thought.”

Jungmo smiled at him. 

“And you were right after all,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “That’s really impressive. I would have never figured that out.” 

Minhee waved him off and averted his eyes. Jungmo was exaggerating. But apparently the older wasn’t sharing that sentiment. He leaned forward a bit more, eyes inquisitive as they studied Minhee. His voice was soft, as if he was just stating a nice fact that didn’t necessitate any back talking. 

“You are not giving yourself enough credit, Minnie,” he said. Minhee scoffed amusedly. 

“I’m nowhere near as good as you are, you know?” he asked sarcastically, but there was no bite to his voice. There was a good reason why Jungmo was the one tutoring Minhee after all and not the other way round. 

But Jungmo didn’t agree with him on this either, it seems. Instead he laughed lightly. 

“I’m not that good, actually,” the older stated. Minhee looked at him and was about to protest when he lifted a hand. 

“I am not saying I am bad at magic, or in general,” Jungmo yielded. “But I am more… straight-forward? If that makes sense?” 

He chuckled lightly and looked at his hands. The fire was illuminating him, his face half in darkness. In the corner, the seventh years were packing their things to head to bed, leaving Minhee and Jungmo alone in the common room. 

“I’m good at things like charms. And transfiguration,” Jungmo continued. “They are clear. Clear in their intent, in the theory behind them. They are straight-forward. Logical in the most simple sense. Action and reaction.” 

He looked towards the fireplace, his fingers now playing with the blanket covering his lap. 

“I struggle a lot more with content-rich magic theory. Things where you have to consider many aspects. Where an action might have a reaction, or not, or something much different. Complex systems… they are not really my thing. I get it, but it takes a lot of time, and I don’t enjoy it as much.” 

His eyes wandered back to Minhee. 

“That’s why I’m saying you are not giving yourself enough credit. Of course, everyone has their strengths and weaknesses but a school system… It needs to be balanced between many aspects, and in many things it is pretty straight-forward in what is taught and what has to come from it. Contentwise I mean. And the methods are more or less unified, usually tailored towards what is commonly the best way - the most comprehensible I guess.”

Minhee quirked an eyebrow. 

“So you’re saying that I just fell out of the roster?” he asked and Jungmo nodded. 

“Your way of thinking is different from what is usually taught. You focus on different things - I noticed while studying with you - and it gets obvious when you talk one on one. I saw how you approached things, and you understand it in a different system - or more like, you understand the system and are able to approach it from your understanding, but if forced to employ an unfamiliar method you hit walls.”

Minhee nodded slowly, lips pursed. 

“That… makes sense, actually,” he conceded. “I haven’t thought about it this way. But it’s not worth much if it’s not what I need for school, isn’t it?”

Jungmo tilted his head. 

“This might sound idealistic but maybe try it your way. It won’t work everytime, and sometimes people will flat out refuse your method but…” Jungmo was chewing his lip again. Minhee continued for him. 

“I might be surprised by the end result if I try.” 

Jungmo nodded and looked at Minhee again. There was something hopeful in his eyes. The younger smiled. 

“Perfect time for it then,” he said to the Ravenclaw. “With you by my side for the next two weeks I have all the moral support I could need.” 

He winked for good measure and Jungmo snorted at his cheesy reply. But it had been only partly a tease. It was true - he felt more confident in his abilities with the older. So maybe he could actually try during that time. He looked at Jungmo with a smile. The older wasn’t looking at him, eyes fixed onto the fire again. Minhee followed his gaze. 

The flames were licking out of the glowing embers, the light growing more and more red as the wood burned away slowly. It was a beautiful sight, truly. A thought entered Minhee’s mind and he grinned. 

“If complex systems aren’t really your forte,” he started and Jungmo hummed as a sign he was listening. 

“How much of the explanation on painting tunnels did you get today?” 

Jungmo looked at him, expression dead serious. 

“Honestly?” he asked and Minhee nodded. The older broke into a grin.

“Not a word except for the two weeks part.”

Minhee started giggling, but it easily turned into full-blown laughter when he heard Jungmo join him. 

“I told you, I’m bad at that stuff!” he said in fake offence and Minhee almost choked while laughing. When he calmed down he glanced at the older who was observing him with a wide smile. 

“Should I try explaining it again?” he asked and Jungmo considered it for a moment, eyebrows furrowed and lips pursed. Then he nodded.

“Did you understand the tunnel principle?” Minhee started asking and the older hesitated for a moment before nodding slowly. 

“I think so,” he said. “When you entered the painting you weren’t actually entering the painting but a tunnel and it just looks like you did?” 

Minhee nodded, but his mind was racing in an attempt to find a fitting image to make it clearer.

“Imagine it like this,” he eventually started. “You have three separate tunnels. Each tunnel is separated from the other through a wall. The two outer tunnels are the paintings and our world, and between them is the painting tunnel.”

Jungmo nodded. 

“The walls separating the tunnels are invisible - you can see into the other tunnel, but actually you don’t even notice the middle tunnel from our world. Nor does the painting world notice it. Both think the distance between them is an illusion or that it’s the wall or something.” 

Jungmo was listening intently, his eyes shining and his lower lips caught between his teeth again. He had drawn his knees up to his chest, curled up into a ball. He looked small like this and Minhee felt the need to hug him. But he refrained from doing it. 

“The entrance I found was like a hole in the wall between our tunnel and the middle tunnel,” he continued instead. And when I entered the tunnel everything looked as if I was in the paintings, I was interacting with them as if I was in their tunnel, right?” 

Jungmo hummed. 

“I wasn’t in their tunnel though. The middle tunnel acts like a mirror for the painting world, it creates a perfect copy of everything and lets me interact with it.” 

Jungmo mulled his words over but his frown deepened. 

“How could you interact with a mirror image though?” he asked and Minhee grinned. 

“That’s the complex bit. To make it short - say, how many dimensions has a painting?” 

Jungmo blinked. 

“Two,” he answered, tone confused. 

“And our world?” 

“Three.” 

“Exactly. So a three dimensional object is interacting with a two dimensional object. And how many dimensions does a mirror display.”

Understanding started to bloom in Jungmo’s eyes. 

“Two?” he replied and Minhee nodded. 

“Two,” he repeated. “And for a two dimensional reflection it doesn’t matter if it is in its original tunnel or the middle tunnel, because it sees me in the middle. The magic lets it appear as an illusion that we are on the same existential plane - or tunnel - while we aren’t and I can interact because I am three dimensional. It’s like entering a circle, I guess?” 

Jungmo blinked. 

“You step into a circle?” he asked and Minhee nodded. 

“But I can only do that because I am coming from above - from the depth of an additional dimension, instead of being restricted by two dimensions. A two dimensional object couldn’t enter.” 

Jungmo closed his eyes for a second and Minhee waited for him to show if he understood or not. It took a minute before the other spoke, his eyes still closed. 

“Let me summarise,” he said. “You are in the middle tunnel, which reflects the two dimensional painting. Because the magic makes it appear as one place and you can interact better as a three dimensional object, you can behave as if you are in a painting while only going through a reflection of it?” 

Minhee clapped and sat up excitedly. 

“Exactly!” he exclaimed and Jungmo let out a long breath. 

“My head hurts,” he declared in a whiny voice, but his smile was equal parts proud and fond when he met the younger boy’s eyes. 

“And this entrance and exit thingy…” he started and Minhee looked at him expectantly. “You need two paintings that work as them, that were painted on the same day by the same person?” 

Minhee nodded. 

“The painting I entered and the one I came out of - same painter, same day. And they form the tunnel that connects the rest of the paintings,” he went on and Minhee kept nodding, “and it’s like an extra parallel universe between the real world and the kind of metaphysical world of the paintings?”

Minhee nodded more insistently, his eyebrows vanishing under his bangs that were falling onto his forehead like a white curtain. 

“And if that tunnel is disturbed from the reality side, the object in the tunnel becomes reconnected to it’s original origin, but there is the wall, the touched painting in the way.” 

Minhee nodded fast and by now Jungmo got worried about his vertebrae. He reached forward and placed his hand under the younger’s chin, stopping him. 

“And this is where it stops for me,” he concluded. Minhee was looking at him with wide eyes, and his heart was beating faster. The unexpected feeling of slightly cold hands against his skin had put his brain out of service for a second but now it rebooted. He cleared his throat. Jungmo still didn’t withdraw his hand.

“The starting and the ending point of the tunnel have no time discrepancy between them, right?” he asked and Jungmo nodded. 

“Because an extra universe would make a discrepancy likely, and so they need to be timed correctly,” he finished Minhee’s explanation. The younger smiled. 

“But the painting you touched and the entrance have a discrepancy, and so it is setup for that time difference instead - but for the two objects that are now connected.”

“So me and you,” Jungmo mumbled. Minhee swallowed. “And we got lucky because the painting we touched was drawn only two weeks later than the entrance?” 

Minhee nodded. Jungmo chuckled and finally withdrew his hand. The younger immediately missed the feeling. 

“Thank god you didn’t enter a modern painting,” he said. “We’d be stuck for hundreds of years.” 

Minhee looked up at him with wide eyes. He wasn’t sure if he should feel hurt at the older’s words or if he fully agreed with them. Jungmo just grinned apologetically and sighed before he glanced at the clock in the corner. 

“We should head to bed,” he mumbled. “We didn’t exactly get a lot of sleep yesterday, and Yunseong promised me, the others would let us sleep in tomorrow. So we should use it.” 

As if on cue, Minhee yawned and Jungmo started giggling. 

“Okay,” he said and threw the blanket off his legs. “This is a sign. Off we go.” 

Minhee groaned, but followed him obediently. It was easier than being pulled around by their connection. His eyes were getting heavy too, and he had to admit: sleep sounded heavenly. He followed Jungmo up the stairs to his dorm room (theirs, for now, his brain added unhelpfully). They quickly grabbed pyjamas, towels and their toiletries before heading for the washroom. 

In just a few minutes they were heading back, quietly to not wake anyone, when Jungmo stopped him in front of the door. 

“If you,” he started but trailed off. His eyes were fixed on the door. Minhee stepped closer and placed a hand on Jungmo’s arm. The older seemed to snap out of his thoughts and looked at him. They were close, and he could see Jungmo’s eyes widen. 

“If you,” he started again, voice more quiet this time, “feel uncomfortable sleeping in one bed with me, then say it. I’m not taking it personal, but everything today was helter-skelter and I don’t want you to feel forced to do so or anything, really-” 

Minhee held up a finger against Jungmo’s lips, effectively stopping his rambling. 

“I’m fine, hyung. Really,” he said with as much honesty as he could. He wasn’t lying, but he was a tad nervous. But not uncomfortable. 

“I’ll tell you if I feel uncomfortable with anything but don’t worry. That,” he pointed at the door, “I'm fine with that. Really.” 

Jungmo still seemed somewhat doubtful, but he nodded. 

“Okay,” he said. “Let’s go to sleep then.”

With that, he opened the door and Minhee followed on his heels, quietly shutting the door behind them and then tiptoeing towards the bed. Jungmo lifted the cover, slipped in and scooted over, holding up the blanket for Minhee. The younger took a deep breath to calm his rapidly beating heart and slipped in behind the older. Jungmo lowered the blanket on them, shortly wrapping his arm around Minhee in the process and then turned away, reaching for his wand on the small cabinet beside the bed. He pointed it at the curtains and they flew shut. 

“Minimum privacy,” the older murmured as he placed his wand back outside the curtain. Then he laid on his side, facing Minhee. The bed wasn’t cramped, by any means. Thank god Hogwarts' beds were rather big, thanks to their four posters and all. But still it felt too close. Minhee’s heart wasn’t calming down at all and he felt heat rise on his cheeks as Jungmo looked at him. He was glad that there was hardly any light, barely enough to make out the other, and so his red cheeks remained invisible. 

“Maybe,” Minhee whispered, “we should put a pillow between us?” 

Jungmo made a surprised sound.

“If you’re more comfortable that way,” he said slowly and Minhee shook his head. 

“I’m just a chaotic sleeper, you could say. And that way I might leave you alone?” he suggested and heard Jungmo giggle. 

“We can try,” the older relented and grabbed the long pillow against the headboard, placing it between them. After a second, Jungmo pulled it further down so they could still look at each other. Minhee couldn’t resist. 

“Missing me already?” he blurted out and Jungmo laughed airily. 

“Maybe I am,” he replied and Minhee felt the heat from before return to his cheeks at the words. Jungmo closed his eyes for a second, tiredness now obvious in his features. 

“I guess I’ll have to apologise,” he said and Minhee raised an eyebrow in question, until he remembered that the older couldn’t see it in the darkness. 

“Why?” he asked instead. It was quiet for a moment. 

“If I hadn’t touched the painting, we wouldn’t be stuck. I could have saved you a lot of trouble if I had just remembered the simple rule not to touch unknown magic.” 

Minhee hummed as he thought of an answer. 

“It wasn’t your fault though,” he eventually said. “I asked you to try after all.”

“Yeah, but-” 

“No, hyung,” Minhee insisted and lifted his head off the pillow, leaning onto his arm. “It wasn’t your fault - you tried your best because I didn’t know how to solve it and it could have gone much worse, you know? Imagine I wouldn’t have found the exit, that would have been trouble.”

Jungmo stayed silent for a moment. Minhee’s heart was beating loudly in his chest and he felt the older boy move slightly against the bed. He drew in a deep breath and buried his face in the pillow. 

“I don’t really mind being bound to you,” he mumbled and felt Jungmo shift. When the other spoke, his voice was closer. 

“What did you say?” he asked softly. “I didn’t quite catch that.” 

Minhee looked up at him, face still half buried in his pillow. 

“I don’t really mind,” he repeated. “That we’re bound I mean.” 

Jungmo had shuffled as close as the pillow allowed and Minhee wasn’t sure if he was imagining the smile on the older’s face. 

Jungmo hummed, and Minhee closed his eyes again. He had screwed this up royally. The hand suddenly carding through his hair surprised him and his eyes flew open. Jungmo had reached over and was running his fingers through his hair. 

“You know,” he started and Minhee hummed to show he was listening. “I was wondering. Why did the bond not settle immediately? Theoretically I should have been pulled towards you when you exited the painting, right?” 

Minhee thought about his words for a moment. 

“I think the magic needed time to settle,” he said slowly. “It was two metres at first right? And then it shortened. Maybe it was just longer in the beginning.”

Jungmo nodded. 

“Like a weak long connection in the beginning, and a shorter stronger connection later?”

Minhee nodded, turning his head slightly more towards the hand still in his hair. Jungmo chuckled lightly but continued his ministrations. Suddenly he giggled and lifted his head. 

“That would explain why you were pulled back that violently when the connection shortened today,” he said lightly, nails scraping lightly over Minhee’s scalp. Then he laid his head back down, snuggling into the bed.

“We should really sleep,” he said quietly and Minhee hummed. He was already half to dreamland at this point. The exhaustion of the day was catching up to him by now and the hand in his hair was calming him down. He nuzzled into the pillow and sighed. 

“Goodnight,” he mumbled but he didn’t even hear Jungmo’s reply. 

He slept well, deep and dreamless. When he woke up, there was light filtering through the gaps in the curtains, barely reaching his eyes. He shut them tighter again as he nuzzled into the warmth surrounding him. He felt content just staying like this, his head tucked into the warm darkness in front of him, rising in slow breaths, and the arm around him pulling him closer. 

He slid his arm over Jungmo’s waist and scooted closer towards the older. It was nice like this. But sleep wasn’t coming again. With a sigh he opened his eyes. 

It took a few more moments for his brain to catch up. Then he froze. 

He was wrapped around Jungmo - or was the older wrapped around him? He wasn't sure, they were a tangle of limbs after all. He desperately tried to keep still but his heart rate picked up and he shifted. His movements seemed to rouse the Ravenclaw he was clinging to. Jungmo let out a small sound (cute, Minhee’s brain supplied) and shifted around a bit before he stretched. Like a cat, arms over his head, his whole body seemingly getting a few centimetres longer in the process and he almost rolled onto his stomach, trapping Minhee underneath him. 

He noticed and rolled back onto his side while Minhee shuffled towards what had been his side of the bed and that he had left overnight. He looked up at Jungmo slowly. 

The older had a sloth-like expression on his face, sleepy and not quite there yet and his hair was sticking up in every direction. His eyes found Minhee and he smiled sleepily, tucking his hands under his pillow and laying back down with a smile. 

“I guess the idea with the pillow in the middle didn’t really work,” he stated sleepily and Minhee nodded. His heart was beating wildly, but there was a warmth in the pit of his stomach that he couldn’t ignore. No, he had definitely not felt uncomfortable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooooo, are you confused? If you are, please comment or text us on twitter (@chaos_kisses) and we will answer your questions. I know this was kinda confusing, I got confused at some points while writing it and if there is some physics expert among us: I apologise for what I have probably not portrayed accurately, let me off this time, pleaaaaase!!  
Also, I promise the next chapter will be less theoretical and way more plot - look out for a wild mess of things. Who knows how many POVs I'm gonna add in next? 
> 
> Until then, see you all!


	27. The braincell triumvirate and the usual chaos

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .....I'm late. Whoopsie. Did not see that one coming, not at all.  
Buuuuuuuttt, we're back again, my time is up! (I always hear SF9 in my head when I say this, sue me) 
> 
> Here we go again and this chapter might contain something some of you have been waiting for~~~ and just so you know, I added the title of a song that I wrote a certain scene to just before the sign - have a look if you want to!
> 
> Enjoy!!

Wooseok had thought he had escaped. Seeing Jungmo and Minhee enter the Ravenclaw tower had been his opportunity to escape from the look Sejin was shooting him to talk to the two boys. It wasn’t just an excuse after all - he had talked to the other 6th years in Mogu’s dorm to ensure these two could avoid most of the questioning. He cared about them after all (though Mogu might stay his favourite, Minhee was definitely growing on him with his smart but clumsy and weird demeanour) and he didn’t want them to be just thrown into the situation when he could offer at least some help. 

But admittedly, he had also aimed to avoid his friend. Sejin had sat down in front of him, an equal parts stern and concerned expression on his face and a furrow in his eyebrow. Wooseok had feigned deep immersion in his homework. He wasn’t quite sure which subject it was but it was interesting. Very much so, much more than the face of Sejin that spelled ‘we gotta talk’. And talk he did, no matter how concentrated Wooseok tried to look. 

“What’s going on?” Sejin had asked him. Wooseok had looked up at him, eyes wide. He didn’t need to act any surprise, he wasn’t exactly sure what Sejin was on about. Though he had a hunch. 

“I’m doing homework?” he replied, but the other boy just scoffed. 

“That’s not what I mean and you know it,” he said. “Something’s up with you, and we both know it. And so does Seungwoo.”

Wooseok shrank in on himself and Sejin’s expression softened slightly. 

“We’re worried,” he continued. “Worried about you, especially because you usually talk about it to us. But you don’t and you seem somehow absent since a few days ago!”

Wooseok decided not to answer, but sigh and roll up the parchment he had been writing god knows what on. Sejin wasn’t wrong, he pondered, he had been absent minded. But there was a lot going through his brain. Sejin was still trying to get him to answer. 

“You seem like there’s something bothering - really bothering you. You came back from your rounds the other day pretty late, and something was off back then. Seungwoo noticed too, especially because he said you seemed so tense and wound up that day because Jinhyuk managed to get himself into detention again and…”

Sejin broke off his sentence with a gasp before his face split into a grin that rivalled the Cheshire cat. He leaned forward. 

“This is about Jinhyuk,” he stated. Not even asking anymore, just stating a fact. The memory of that particular evening flooded back into Wooseok’s brain and he felt himself blush. God damn his blood flow for overreacting at the mere thought. Sejin’s grin seemed to grow even wider. 

“It definitely is,” he said, “and you know, that is just perfect because Seungwoo and I agreed that we should have tea together. Today. In fact, now.”

Wooseok looked up, eyes wide. This was unexpected for sure. And not exactly what he had been aiming to do because while he knew that he had to figure himself out at some point he wasn’t exactly ready to do so now. For the past few days he had dealt with The Situation (as he had dubbed it) in the best way: avoiding Jinhyuk and swamping himself in work to have an excuse for it. Which had effectively prevented himself from thinking about everything. And he had planned to continue this, at least for a bit. 

Now he was standing with his back to a metaphorical wall, when he saw the little escape door in the form of Minhee and Jungmo. Perfect. He jumped up and headed to them as quickly as possible without appearing too hectic. The two boys stopped in their tracks when they saw him, shoulders almost touching and Jungmo carrying a bag that Wooseok had never seen before. Probably Minhee’s school stuff that they had gotten from his dorm, as Minhee was carrying a duffle bag that seemed to contain his belongings. 

As he got close to them his heart squeezed in his chest. They both looked nervous in a subliminal way. Jungmo’s face was a bit more tense than usual and Minhee seemed a bit rigid. Understandably so. Being forced to stay within a one metre radius of a person you weren’t exactly close to yet was a challenge. Plus, Wooseok had a feeling that something else had happened between them. He had caught them whispering and exchanging looks a few times, had noticed how they seemed to stumble over the story on how they got connected at times. It wasn’t his place to pry, but he had a feeling there was something else behind it. 

Jungmo was just a year beneath him, and Minhee two, but right now they looked so young to him. Even though they were almost a head taller. He felt the need to comfort and protect them. But instead of saying anything along the lines, he placed a hand on each of their arms. Minhee’s eyes went wide for a moment -- the contact seemed unexpected and Wooseok knew he could seem scary sometimes. Well, he had a reputation to uphold.

“I talked to the rest of your roommates already, Mogu,” he had said quietly. “They know so you won’t have to explain anything.” 

When Mogu nodded, Wooseok added a quick: “Tell me if anyone’s giving you shit, and they will regret it.” 

He couldn’t help it. If anyone was gonna give these two shit, he would take care of it, and while he trusted Mogu’s roommates to be decent about it, some comments could sting. Jungmo smiled and Minhee looked so taken aback that Wooseok was ready to reassure him that no, he wasn’t threatening anyone (openly) when an arm was thrown over his shoulder.

“Calm down, Woosatan,” Sejin spoke next to his ear and Wooseok had to suppress the dread from showing in his features. “You can beat up people if they deserve it but for now you have a date with Seungwoo and me.” 

Well, damn it. He couldn’t openly protest why he didn’t want to go because he didn’t even have a legitimate reason after all. Plus, Sejin was already tightening the hold he had on Wooseok’s shoulder and was pulling him along towards the door. Mogu sent him a smile before he said something to Minhee and Wooseok inwardly groaned. No help for him, it seemed. 

“I got homework?” he tried as a feeble excuse, but Sejin chuckled darkly. 

“Kim Wooseok,” he said while unrelentingly dragging Wooseok along and through the door. “Both of us know you have already finished all of your homework assignments and probably all of the material for next week. You have nothing urgent left.”

Well, no use denying that. Seems like he had to resign to his fate. Sejin loosened his hold when Wooseok sighed and kept up with his pace by himself and eventually took his arm off his shoulders. He followed his friend down hallways and stairs in silence until he noticed something. 

“Where are we going?” he asked confusedly. “The Hufflepuff common room is that way.”

Sejin nodded at his observation but kept walking. 

“We decided to meet up in one of the free meeting rooms,” he said. “Less people there, we were hoping you’d feel less on the spot there.” 

Wooseok appreciated the sentiment but he wasn’t sure if he wasn’t more on the spot if it was only them. Well, no use complaining now. Sejin led him down another few corridors until he opened a door. He would have to confront himself at some point, so he might as well do it with his friends to support him. Hopefully that bravado would stay with him when it actually came down to it.

The room they entered was not too big and had large windows that overlooked the forest. The last rays of the sun were just peeking over the tops of the trees and illuminated Seungwoo, who was sitting at a table in front of the window. There were a few tables scattered through the room, a fire burning in the fireplace and an armchair and a sofa in front of it. A tray with tea was placed on the table. 

Wooseok raised an eyebrow as they sat down and Seungwoo smiled at them. 

“How did you get this here?” he asked. Seungwoo winked playfully at him. 

“I got my ways,” he tried his hand at a mysterious aura, but couldn’t keep it up. “I know one of the house-elfs, Winky, and she brought it up here. Sweet little thing, I’ve talked to her a lot.” 

Sejin blinked and Wooseok leaned forward. 

“Why are you in the kitchens so often though?” he asked curiously. Seungwoo looked down at his tea, a soft smile adorning his features. 

“Seungsik was learning how to bake a few years back. He befriended this one elf, Bingles, and I started accompanying him. And at some point I started talking to Winky, when this really old elf, Kreecher, came and we had tea.” 

“Huh,” Wooseok said and leaned back. “I never knew, Seungsik knew how to bake.” 

Seungwoo glanced up at him, expression slightly mischievous. 

“There’s a lot you don’t know about him,” he said with a lilt in his voice and Sejin shook his head. 

“Moving on,” he effectively stopped Seungwoo from further explaining. “The reason we gathered here today…” 

Wooseok groaned when both his friends looked at him intently and grabbed a cup of tea, hiding behind it. Sejin sighed and looked at Seungwoo. 

“It probably has something to do with Jinhyuk, from how he blushed like lobster in a pot,” he told Seungwoo, who hummed in reply. 

“I’m not too surprised, I have to admit,” the older said and then looked at Wooseok, who was still hiding behind the rim of his cup. 

“You know,” he started slowly, “you don’t have to tell us, but I think you might feel better if you did. Even if it’s just to let it all out.”

Silence fell over them and Wooseok sighed, mulling their words over. And if it came down to it he had to admit, both of them were right. He needed to sort out his thoughts and he could do that best when he talked to his friends. He drew in a breath before he replied. 

“We kissed,” he whispered and Seungwoo promptly choked on his biscuit. Sejin’s head whipped around so fast he wasn’t sure it was healthy anymore. 

“Come again?” he asked deceptively calm and Wooseok felt heat climb up his cheeks. 

“Jinhyuk and I kissed,” he repeated, slightly louder this time. “That evening when he had detention. I went to check up on him and stayed a while, we just talked and I watched him work and it was just so…” 

He struggled to find a fitting word. 

“I just felt so comfortable with him, I guess?” he attempted to explain it. “We have this push and pull, banter, and it just kind of happened I guess?” 

Sejin snorted lightly. 

“Well, I’m no expert but I’d say there had to have been something, so it happened,” he commented and Seungwoo grinned. 

“I’m an expert, and I agree,” he said. “But that is definitely an unexpected development.”

His grin vanished and his brows furrowed a bit as he looked at a still blushing Wooseok. 

“Do you regret it?” he asked softly. Wooseok wasn’t sure what to answer. His first instinct was to say yes, but as he thought about it, it wasn’t exactly about the kiss. It was more about the emotional turmoil he would have liked to avoid. But kissing Jinhyuk - as he thought back on it, he didn’t regret doing it, especially if he considered one thing. 

“I’m not,” he said in a firm voice. “I’m not. After all, I…” 

His voice became more quiet. 

“I was the one who kissed him.”

Sejin dropped the biscuit he was just grabbing and Seungwoo placed his teacup down carefully. 

“You are full of surprises, Kim Wooseok,” he said. “But it definitely explains why Jinhyuk seemed so jittery this week and why he wasn’t looking at you like a kicked puppy.”

Sejin glanced at Seungwoo, while Wooseok mumbled a quiet “Looking at me like a what?” 

“Think about it,” Seungwoo said. “We are all aware that Jinhyuk likes him - yes, he does, stop looking at me like that - so if he had kissed him and Wooseok had rejected him or would be acting like this-” Seungwoo gestured at the Ravenclaw, “-he would definitely feel hurt by it.” 

Seungwoo focussed on Wooseok. 

“You told me you thought Jinhyuk was going to kiss you that one evening after the gathering, when you took him back,” he said slowly and Wooseok nodded. Sejin’s eyes were going wider and wider with all the new information. 

“But he didn’t,” Wooseok finished Seungwoo’s sentence who didn’t. The older nodded. 

“That likely means he wanted you to decide if you wanted it. He knew you weren’t ready to kiss him back then.” 

Wooseok nodded shyly. 

“But you kissed him a few days ago,” Sejin interjected. “And now you are avoiding him.”

Wooseok nodded and sighed. 

“I did, yes,” he replied. Sejin scoffed. 

“Why though?” he asked, voice filled with confusion. “If you didn’t regret it either, then why?” 

There was a certain emotion in Sejin’s voice he couldn’t quite name, but he could easily deduce what it stemmed from. 

“I’m just not sure if it’s the right thing, okay?” Wooseok said agitatedly and placed his cup down. “I’m not sure if it is the right thing for either of us, if we have this figured out. Plus, we are close to our finals and we don’t really know where life is going to take us after graduation. I don’t want to make this possibly more complicated for both of us if it goes wrong, and if we don’t know how much time there is.”

He leaned back and took a deep breath. Sejin chuckled mirthlessly next to him. 

“Believe me, having a fixed time doesn’t make it better,” he said, voice laced with a bitterness. “Even if you were aware of it, and even if you can accept it. A countdown isn’t always the best thing.” 

Seungwoo glanced between Sejin and Wooseok, lower lip pulled between his teeth and face unreadable. Wooseok felt his stance soften a bit as he glanced at his friend beside him. Despite his bitter tone, there was only sadness and a sense of regret on Sejin’s face. Maybe he should have worded it differently. Or just thought about it more. 

Wooseok placed a comforting hand on Sejin’s crossed arms who sighed in reply. 

“I don’t blame him for his decision,” Sejin said, “and if I had been in his position I would have done the same, maybe. But that doesn’t mean that I am happy with it.” 

Wooseok nodded and glanced at Seungwoo, who smiled at him lopsidedly and without humor. Sejin uncrossed his arms and rubbed his hands over his face before he turned to Wooseok. 

“We’ve talked about me enough lately,” he said decidedly, “and it won’t change. But if I can give you one advice, Seok, then it is to not let something like time factor into it too much. And even if it seems limited yet, the likelihood of you two staying in contact or even within a close distance is much more likely, isn’t it.” 

Wooseok couldn’t help but agree. Sejin had a point. Both he and Jinhyuk were likely to stay in Britain, and they weren’t separated through school - they would have the freedom to act as they wanted within certain limitations. Seungwoo hummed encouragingly. 

“Also,” the older Hufflepuff added, “while I have to commend the fact that you think about future developments already, I have to say that at the same time it is useless to do so.” 

Sejin and Wooseok both looked at Seungwoo with surprise, who just raised an eyebrow. 

“You are trying to predict something that objectively you can’t. Sure, certain events have a bigger likelihood of happening, but what’s the use in trying to figure out how everything will go?”

Seungwoo leaned forward, his chin placed on his folded hands. 

“In my opinion, what you feel and how you see it now is the most important. Everything else? Figure it out when it’s there,” he continued. Wooseok mulled over his words, teeth worrying his lip. Seungwoo reached over the table and placed a large hand on Wooseok’s smaller ones that lay clasped on the wood. 

“I’m not trying to pressure you into making a decision now,” he stated appeasingly. “That’s your call to make. But if anything, don’t leave Jinhyuk hanging. Talk to him, tell him how you feel about the kiss. And tell him what worries you.” 

Wooseok avoided the older’s eyes but he couldn’t help but agree that he seemed reasonable. 

“It’s scary,” he replied in a small voice, “laying everything out in the open. When you were overthinking it all the time.” 

Sejin nodded beside him. 

“But don’t you think Jinhyuk feels the same about it?” he asked the headboy. “He showed you how he feels earlier and from then on let you decide. He opened up and left it there. In your hands.” 

Seungwoo nodded. 

“It doesn’t mean that you have to accept it. But it means you have to at least reply - or explain. A relationship doesn’t work with just one side doing everything.” 

And that, Wooseok couldn’t deny, was indisputably true. 

“Usually I’d say get your ass in gear, decide and talk to him,” Sejin said in a lighter tone, “but this time I think you can talk to him before you decide, at least to let him know.” 

The candle in the windowsill lit up as the sun set completely over the horizon. Wooseok sighed and sat up straight. 

“Alright,” he declared in a resolute tone, “I’ll talk to him.” 

  
  


[ _ (Mood inspired by: Josh Winiberg - Amor Fati/Love Of Fate) _ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpwnxG_6UTc)

His determination did not waver, to his own surprise. Both Sejin and Seungwoo had agreed to at least wait out the next day, so Wooseok could properly decide what he wanted to say. And one would think that this night could serve to lay all plans to waste, but the boy didn’t let himself succumb to those fears. 

Did he feel nervous? Yes, definitely. Did he lose sleep from thinking and worrying? By all means yes. Judging by the slightly concerned look he got from Eunsang when he sat down at breakfast and promptly poured coffee on his plate instead of his cup, his lack of sleep was showing. But his resolution stood. After classes he would find Jinhyuk. And he would explain himself. 

He did not see the Gryffindor the rest of the day. It might possibly have been due to the fact that for one, Wooseok was so caught up in his head that he walked by his classroom twice but also because he was still trying to avoid the Gryffindor. He wasn’t sure how he would fare before he had fixed up his nerves enough to talk to him. So he played hide and seek another day. 

Classes went by quickly that day. Quicker than he was entirely happy with, but there was no changing that. When he eventually placed down his school bag in his dorm after potions that day, he felt a strange calmness. If anything, he would at least rekindle the friendship he had built with Jinhyuk. A quick question directed at Junho today had let him know that Gryffindor had Quidditch practice scheduled that day and that they would get back at around five, save for Kookheon and Yohan. 

Wooseok grabbed a book, seeing it was still more than an hour and set off for the school grounds. The sun was shining, only occasionally obscured by passing clouds and the wind for once was lacking in strength. The warmth of the sunlight was seeping into his skin when the Ravenclaw passed the grass plain in front of the main entrance and headed towards the edge of the lake. 

It was still too cold to sit by the water, but there was a patch halfway down that had both enough distance from the school gate and was close enough to the way leading down to the Quidditch field. He could make out tiny red spots zipping through the air over the field, but he quickly averted his eyes. No use in staring and making himself nervous. 

He sat down on the grass after casting a quick spell. The ground was still somewhat cold and wet, and the spell solved that problem. Sighing, he opened his book and sank into its world as the light on his face appeared and vanished with the clouds crossing the sky above him. The sun was turning more and more orange as it got closer towards the tips of the Forbidden Forest. When he heard voices, Wooseok glanced up and towards the way from the Quidditch field. 

A small group of people, clad in red uniforms and making their way towards the castle. He quickly closed his book and got up, eyes settling on the tall figure between the other members of the team. He took a few steps towards the way, not completely on it yet as they got closer and his eyes met the ones he had been looking out for and avoiding at the same time. 

Jinhyuk’s eyes widened for a second when he recognised Wooseok and a small smile, almost invisible, appeared on his features. The rest of his team, save for Kookheon and Yohan who were still at practice, continued their chattering and some of them greeted him as they went past. Jinhyuk’s steps slowed down, their eye contact not breaking until the older glanced at his friends. 

“You go first,” he told them with a smile, “I’ll follow in a minute.” 

Then he parted ways with them and headed towards Wooseok over the grass while the rest of them went on towards the castle. Wooseok took a few steps towards him but his legs felt like lead as Jinhyuk came closer, gaze soft and that small smile still clinging to the corner of his lips. The wind picked up and made Wooseok’s robes flutter in the wind and Jinhyuk’s whirl around him. He stopped in front of him. 

“Hey,” he said and Wooseok swallowed. His heart was beating terribly fast and he had a feeling he was blushing. But that might be because of the wind, he told himself. Clearing his throat, he croaked out a “Hi” himself before falling silent again. 

Jinhyuk stood there and waited. For once, the older didn’t seem inclined to start the conversation and Wooseok couldn’t blame him. Jinhyuk didn’t seem angry, per se. More like he was cautious. Cautious of showing more of his feelings. And rightfully so, Wooseok thought to himself. He had already shown so much. 

Now was his turn. 

“I’m sorry for avoiding you,” he said. His voice sounded more quiet than expected, as if the wind was taking it away. Jinhyuk raised an eyebrow at him, expression still carefully neutral save for that soft expression in his eyes. His hands were in his pockets. Wooseok’s were clasping the book he had been reading. 

The wind whipped around them, it’s icy feeling only slightly alleviated by the warmth of the remaining sun’s rays. 

“I’m sure you had a good reason,” Jinhyuk replied. His voice didn’t betray any emotion. “To feel you needed to avoid me I mean. So it’s okay, I understand-”

“I don’t regret it,” Wooseok interrupted him. Jinhyuk blinked. 

“The kiss,” Wooseok clarified. “I don’t regret kissing you.” 

The older seemed taken aback at his words. He remained quiet. Wooseok drew in a deep breath. 

“I admit I was scared,” he continued, his eyes fixed on the ground. “I wasn’t sure if it was the right thing to do, and I was trying to figure out what I felt. What I feel. And where I want this to go.” 

He looked up at Jinhyuk. The older was looking at him with wide eyes, cheeks painted red from the wind that was still pulling at their robes and had the cold invade them. 

“I’m not going to tell you that I have it figured out,” Wooseok said and his voice grew in strength. “I don’t. I’m still unsure, I still don’t know if it was the right decision, and I can’t tell where this is going to go. But I don’t regret it.” 

His eyes bore into Jinhyuk’s who was still silent. His face was basked in the golden light of the setting sun, the mountains of the highlands a rough silhouette behind him. He was completely still as he took in Wooseok’s words, but there were emotions flitting through his expressive eyes as the younger spoke. And for the first time, Wooseok was sure what they were and what they meant. He had seen them before. And it occurred to him that maybe he had felt them too. 

“So you’re still unsure?” Jinhyuk asked in a careful tone and Wooseok opened his mouth to reply, but the words that came out were not what he had originally planned. 

“I’m unsure of the future,” he said. “But I’m sure about now. And right now-” 

The wind picked up even more, whirling their robes around and almost pushing Wooseok forward, howling around the trees and between the mountains and he couldn’t help but smile about it, a laugh breaking out of him as he took a step closer to Jinhyuk. The wind was loud. 

“Right now I’m falling in love with you,” he called, his voice sounding over the wind and being carried away by it. But Jinhyuk had heard him clearly, eyes wide and mouth splitting into a grin. His hands came up to steady Wooseok. The Ravenclaw wasn’t sure what exactly had gotten into him but it felt like all his worries about this had dissipated with a gust of air. 

A wide grin mirrored Jinhyuk’s and he laughed again, as the trees sang in the gale and his heart was still beating wildly. 

“I’m falling in love with you,” he repeated and reached up, cupping Jinhyuk’s face and the older leaned down a bit instinctively. 

“And I don’t want to ignore that for what might come,” he said with as much determination as he could muster, thumbs brushing over Jinhyuk’s cheekbones as the older was still gently grabbing his elbows. 

“I’m in love with you,” Jinhyuk said in a low voice, his smile audible in his words and Wooseok nodded and pulled him closer, stepping towards him over the last bit of distance still left between them. 

“I know,” he replied as their noses brushed, but their eyes stayed connected. “You have no idea how happy I am that it’s you.”

His words didn’t make much sense outside his head, but that didn’t matter right now. Instead, he leaned up that final bit, standing on his tiptoes, and connected their lips. His eyes closed but he could feel Jinhyuk smile against his lips and wrap his arms around his waist, pulling him closer. 

His lips felt warm, chapped from the wind but Wooseok didn’t care. He could barely suppress his own grin as their lips moved against each other, a warmth and excitement he had never felt before taking root in his chest. 

Another sharp gust of wind whipped around them and blew Wooseok’s robes over him, covering their heads. They broke apart, both bursting into laughter as Jinhyuk tried to remove the offending fabric. He eventually managed to succeed and wrapped his arms around Wooseok again, pulling him close and burying his face in his hair. Wooseok returned the embrace, wrapping his arms around the older and leaning his forehead against his collarbone. 

“Jinhyuk?” he asked and the older hummed to show he had heard. 

“You need a shower.” 

He could feel the tremors of laughter shake the boy at his words, but instead of letting go he tightened his grip. But Wooseok couldn’t complain. 

He didn’t feel like letting go either. 

.oO°Oo.

“Do I have to?” Minhee whined and Jungmo couldn’t help but chuckle. 

“It’s not like I can go without you,” he replied to the pouting boy in front of him. Minhee was slumped over the table in the Great Hall with his books out and a half empty cup of tea perched precariously on top of a stack of papers. Jungmo reached out and took the cup, placing it further away from Minhee’s work. No use in inviting disaster. The younger was still pouting. 

Jungmo tilted his head. 

“It’s just one hour,” he said calmly and Minhee’s lower lip just jutted out further, but he started gathering his things. For all his dramatics, he remained amazingly docile. Jungmo was relieved he didn’t have to discuss it. He grabbed some papers and handed them to the boy. 

“See the positive in it!” he attempted to cheer up the younger but Minhee looked at him with a deadpan expression. 

“I sadly fail at doing so for three hours of potions in one day,” he replied but stuffed the last of his notes into his bag and stood up from the table, Jungmo following him. The older chuckled. 

“At least you don’t have to do anything,” he tried to cheer the younger up. Minhee hummed and moved his head from side to side. 

“I guess,” he said noncommittally. “I’d be lost anyway. I won’t take N.E.W.T. potions.” 

Jungmo chuckled. He wasn’t surprised anymore, after today’s potions lesson. Minhee had done many things, but brewing the elixir correctly had not been among them. Jungmo had refrained from helping him as to not agitate the younger - seeing him and Wonjin fret was enough already. But he once interfered when they had almost added the wrong ingredient. And spotted salamanders always had strong effects on any concoction. 

Now it was his turn, and Minhee’s lack of motivation was understandable. They had figured out a system that allowed them to miss as few classes as possible, and those they did miss where the ones they could afford to do so for the few times it happened. Luckily, they were only bound to each other for 2 weeks.

He didn’t feel like attending all those fifth year classes either, but protests wouldn’t help anyone here. And as much as he had whined about going to potions, it was Minhee that grabbed his sleeves and pulled him down the corridors and stairs a bit quicker lest they might be late. 

Potions went by fast enough and they headed back up the stairs towards the Ravenclaw Common Room. Minhee was panting a bit when they finally reached the top and entered into the circular room. 

“How do you do this every day?” he asked as he followed Jungmo towards the stairs leading to the dorms. The older grinned and patted his back. 

“You’ll get better in the next days,” he promised. “We can go up more often if you want to train.” 

Minhee quickly shook his head and changed the topic to the next day’s schedule. Jungmo smiled fondly and replied to his questions as they repeated the plan for tomorrow to avoid any confusion. When they reached the dorm room, both of them placed down their bags and Jungmo glanced at his watch. 

“We have 20 minutes until we’re meeting with the others,” he announced and turned around to grab a bundle of clothes as Minhee did the same. They quickly got changed out of their uniforms into normal clothing and then promptly headed off towards the Great Hall again. In an attempt to not clutter the Hufflepuff Common Room with so many people, Seungwoo had suggested they meet in the Great Hall and have tea together, which had been agreed on by everyone. Why it had taken them several years to come up with that idea no one questioned. 

Minhee bounded down the stairs with renewed energy and at one point Jungmo had to physically grab him and slow him down. He did not want to fall down the stairs today, thank you very much. Despite being a few minutes early, they were not the first ones present. Hyeongjun and Wonjin were already huddled at the Hufflepuff table with Wooseok and Sejin across from them. They headed over and sat down next to them, Minhee exchanging a grin with Wonjin across the table. Jungmo placed his chin on Wooseok’s shoulder. 

“Hyung,” he said in a slightly whiny tone and the older turned around, patting his head. 

“Mogu,” the older replied in the same kind of voice and with a grin adorning his face. Jungmo sighed inwardly in relief. Whatever had been going on with Wooseok, it had apparently passed. 

“I thought I wouldn’t see you again, hyung!” he proclaimed dramatically and lifted his head off the now confused seventh year’s shoulder. The other boys stared at them with equally puzzled expressions. 

“Say what now?” Wooseok asked and blinked. Jungmo grinned. 

“Well, it looked like you were in trouble when Sejin hyung came to get you for tea with him and Seungwoo,” he elaborated. “He had this distinctively demonic expression. Behind Wooseok, Sejin grinned exaggeratedly evil and Wooseok’ face morphed into a grimace. 

“Well,” he said. “Let’s not talk about that. You saw me again.” 

Jungmo nodded when Wonjin piped up from across the table. 

“And Jungmo had to fear for his life in potions today, because of Minhee!” 

Wooseok chuckled and pointedly looked at the two Slytherin boys, one grinning brightly, one slightly sheepish. 

“Don’t you dare blow up Mogu,” he said with a grin and Jungmo couldn’t contain himself. He reached over and threw an arm around Minhee. 

“If anything, you were just as chaotic as Minnie was,” he stated with a look at Wonjin and a grin underlining his words. “Don’t forget, I saw everything, including the fact that Mingyu had to save both your sorry asses.” 

Hyeongjun perked up beside his boyfriend. 

“He did?” he asked excitedly. “I’ve been telling Gyu that he’s good at what he does, but he wouldn’t believe me!” 

Jungmo grinned at him. 

“Well,” he replied, “from what I saw he was definitely ahead of them, and he solved it pretty well after they screwed up.” 

Wonjin held up his hands in defeat. 

“I never claimed to be a potions genius,” he said. “It’s not my fault Minnie decided to add evening primrose, instead of common primrose.” 

Sejin snorted while Minhee tried to defend himself. 

“I thought they were the same! They have such similar names, how was I supposed to know-” 

A loud bang in the Entrance Hall cut off his rambling as all eyes were directed at the door. Thick dark smoke started filling the Entrance Hall and Sejin sighed. 

“I’ll look into it,” he declared just when the first figure came stumbling out of the smoke, coughing and followed by another person. Jungmo squinted and could make out the faces of Junho and Yohan. Sejin headed over to them and exchanged a few words with them before he slapped his palm against his forehead and headed into the Entrance hall while the two boys approached the rest of the group. 

Just as Sejin went through the door, another figure passed him. They shortly stopped before Sejin headed into the Entrance Hall apparently having sent the other person to go inside already. Jungmo craned his head and could make out Mingyu’s features as he followed Junho and Yohan who were talking about something and hadn’t noticed him yet. 

Yohan plopped down next to Hyeongjung and promptly wrapped himself around the younger boy, while Junho smiled at Minhee and Jungmo, patting Mingyu on the arm when the other came to stand beside him and pulling the boy down on the bench. Hyeongjun turned towards his friend and housemate and leaned over Wonjin to reach the older, eyes wide and sparkly along with his cheery smile. 

“I told you you are good at potions!” he exclaimed and Mingyu promptly turned bright red at the compliment and seemed confused at the same time, but he reached out to take Hyeongjun’s outstretched hand for a moment and smiled warmly. Minhee glanced at Jungmo for a second before he leaned over. 

“Sometimes I feel like Hyeongjun is the only one who can bring Mingyu out of his shell,” he whispered and Jungmo nodded along interestedly. Hyeongjun’s whole personality was fluff and sunshine, so it wasn’t too surprising - but Mingyu was undeniably shy, as he had noticed at prefect meetings. 

Another bang sounded from the entrance

“What’s going on?” Minhee asked and Junho chuckled from opposite them.

“Donghyun and Yunseong came running down the hall with a strange combination of what looked like magic firecrackers and christmas crackers, but Donghyun ran straight into Tony and the whole thing went up in - well smoke.” 

“Literally,” Jungmo commented and glanced at the Entrance Hall. A disgruntled looking Sejin had a sheepish-looking Donghyun and Yunseong beside him and Tony looking like a deer caught in headlights on his other side. The tall American boy had something that looked like soot colouring his face in grey and black. Sejin was waving around his wand, manipulating the black cloud to flow out of the apparently open entrance. When the last bit of the cloud was gone he turned to the two boys that had caused it. 

Their whole group had ceased talking and was fully concentrated on the scene in the entrance hall. Donghyun and Yunseong seemed to shrink into themselves as Sejin scolded them, despite being tiny. Eventually he sent the two boys off with a hand pointing into the Great Hall. 

“Wooseok, don’t scare them even more,” a gentle voice said beside them and Seungwoo waved down at them with Jinhyuk next to him. They had promptly missed them entering the hall. 

“I think Wooseok is more likely to scare them by standing over their beds at night with a creepy expression,” another voice, Seungyoun this time, said from the other side of the table. The Slytherin sat down next to Wonjin with a grin while Seungwoo and Jinhyuk did the same beside Wooseok. Jungmo noticed how Jinhyuk and Wooseok exchanged small smiles when the tall Gryffindor sat down next to the Ravenclaw. Interesting.

Minhee pulling at his sleeve had him turn his attention back to the Entrance Hall. Sejin was still standing there with Tony, trying to help the boy wand-clean the soot off his face and clothes. Tony had apparently missed a spot on his face that Sejin was gesticulating at, and kept missing it. Sejin stepped closer and gestured for the other to lean down a bit before he wiped over the spot with his robe sleeve. Jungmo was pretty sure that Sejin’s hand rested against the side of Tony’s face for longer than strictly necessary, but who was he to judge. 

When Sejin stepped back and turned around their whole group looked away quickly, desperately trying to seem like they were busy doing anything else. They failed spectacularly in making it convincing, especially with Seungyoun just breaking out into a song. Jungmo almost face-palmed. 

The rest of them trickled in over the next minutes and their group broke off into small conversation sub-groups, people talking over each other and changing conversation partners all the time. Jungmo noticed how the fourth and fifth years seemed to form their own little cliques and chuckled at the sight of Dongpyo back-hugging Seungwoo first (or was it a chokehold?) before he grabbed an awkwardly waiting Dohyon and headed towards the other end of the table were Byungchan was already seated, reading a letter. Along the way Dongpyo gave Dohyon a little push and stopped just shy of Mingyu, who promptly turned to look at him. 

Jungmo himself had been deep in conversation with Yohan and Sihoon over their Transfiguration class today (which he had missed), but he lost track of what was going on over his observation. Dongpyo didn’t say anything, he just stood and raised an eyebrow at Mingyu, who, after a second of contemplation, nodded and got up from the bench. Dongpyo beamed at him and grabbed Mingyu’s wrist, pulling him along and down the table. Jungmo’s eyes followed them and he noted with a feeling of joy that Mingyu’s shy smile got just a bit brighter when he was greeted by Dohyon and Byungchan who promptly pulled him and Dongpyo into whatever they had been discussing. It apparently included a folder Dohyon was brandishing and Dongpyo gesturing wildly.

He couldn’t help his smile. He didn’t know these boys too well, save for maybe Byungchan as his classmate - but he really hoped that Dongpyo’s bright demeanour and Dohyon’s rough but affectionate character might help Mingyu in gaining more confidence. He had noticed how the boy seemed to become more and more silent whenever he saw him, and even though he knew Hyeongjun was there for him, Mingyu shouldn’t just depend on one person. Seeing him like this warmed his heart. 

A light touch to his hand brought him back to the situation at hand. Minhee was looking at him with slightly concerned eyes and Yohan and Sihoon were apparently waiting for him to say something. He looked at all three boys with wide eyes and was about to ask them to repeat their question when Sejin’s voice reached his ears and he looked to his right, where most of the seventh years were gathered. 

“Would you two figure it out please?” 

Apparently the older Ravenclaw had only meant to mutter these words quietly, but it turned out his voice had carried more than expected in a sudden lull in conversation and save for some of them at the far end, most of the group was now focusing on the seventh years. Judging by the glances thrown around and the slight blush Wooseok and Jinhyuk were sporting, they had been meant by it. 

Seungyoun was trying (and failing) to hide his grin behind a teacup while Seungwoo looked like he wanted to say something but decided against it, his mouth opening and closing several times. Wooseok closed his eyes for a moment before he looked at Sejin and replied in a no-nonsense tone: “We already settled it.” 

If Jungmo hadn’t been sitting directly next to it, he would have thought it wasn’t real, but just as he finished his words, Wooseok reached up with one hand, placed it one the back of Jinhyuk’s neck and pulled the Gryffindor in for a kiss. And not just a short peck. 

Jinhyuk, it seemed, was about as surprised by the kiss as the rest of the table as he flailed for a second and turned bright red in a matter of seconds (“House pride, luckily he isn’t Ravenclaw,” a little voice sounding like Hangyul whispered in Jungmo’s ear) before he literally melted into the kiss. 

Silence had fallen over the entire table, surprise written on every face. Hyeongjun was covering his mouth with his sleeves and Dohyon’s eyes and mouth formed three perfect circles. Sejin was staring at the scene wide-eyed, his teacup long forgotten but held at enough of an angle to have tea drizzle from it onto the saucer. 

Jinhyuk’s hands that had been flailing around had settled: one on Wooseok’s waist and one on his shoulder, and they stayed there when they separated. Jinhyuk looked stunned, but not exactly shocked by the action itself. He chuckled and his face split into a blinding grin, his eyes set on Wooseok. 

“Where is all that confidence coming from?” he asked and it was as if a spell was broken. Wooseok let out a strangled whine and dove into Jinhyuk’s arms, only the tips of his ears visible and bright red. Seungwoo snorted, which earned him a slap on the arm from a wheezing Seungyoun and Sejin finally noticed his tea - that Tony was already fretting over. 

“Really, hyung? In front of the children?” a disbelieving voice sounded over the ensuing chaos and Jungmo looked over to see Junho, with a bright grin despite his tone. Wooseok glanced at the younger from out of the safety that were Jinhyuk’s arms - and promptly giggled. Junho was holding his hand over the eyes of a protesting Yohan, while Hangyul was doing the same with Hyeongjun and Wonjin. The boys weren’t even protesting - they seemed thoroughly stunned. 

Yohan finally managed to pull Junho’s hand off his face and pulled the younger into a hug, pinning his arms down at his sides and almost pulling him into his lap. Junho was giggling delightedly and Yohan grinned brightly. 

“If anything, you are the baby,” Yohan declared loudly. Jungmo giggled at their antics and exchanged a glance with Minhee who seemed just as amused. They both turned back to the rest of the group that were now again looking between Jinhyuk and Wooseok. Wooseok groaned and fully extricated himself from Jinhyuk’s hug but was still close to him. 

“Okay, now that we got this cleared up, can we please talk about something else?” he said, eyes flying from one face to the next. It was clear that while he was comfortable with them knowing, Wooseok was not ready to share everything that had transpired. Thankfully, Yunseong directly picked up on it. Though his next words made Jungmo want to hide. 

“So, is anyone else questioning why Minhee and Jungmo are putting a pillow in between them at night even though they wake up as a tangle of limbs anyway? Or is that just me?”

Suddenly, all eyes were on Minhee and him. The younger boy promptly tried to seem smaller - which was next to impossible, considering his freakish height. Well, not like Jungmo had any other options either. He just turned red. 

“That’s like an old epic,” Hangyul piped up with a grin. “Placing a sword between him and the maiden, the knight restrains himself at night. Maybe we should get them the sword of Gryffindor?”

Donghyun and Yunseong promptly looked at each other, but Seungwoo was already throwing rock candy at them and they flinched. 

“Nope,” the older Hufflepuff said. “No swords, especially not in beds, Seungyoun stop giggling!”

Wooseok turned towards Jungmo with a grin, and so did Eunsang, Junho and Sihoon. 

“I’ve been wondering about that too,” Sihoon said with an impish grin. “Every evening they are the picture of virtue and manners, and in the morning you can hardly tell who is who apart from the hair.”

Minhee was close to hiding under the table but Jungmo grabbed his sleeve to stop him from it. If he was suffering, so was the Slytherin boy. No mercy there. He turned to pout at Wooseok. 

“I thought you told my roommates-” he sent a quick glare at Yunseong and Sihoon, “-not to tease us?” 

But Wooseok just smiled angelically and placed a hand on Jungmo’s shoulder. 

“I told them not to bother you with questions,” he said in a saccharine voice. “I can’t do anything against teasing.” 

Jungmo whined and covered his eyes with his right hand. His left one was already shooting out to pillow the fall of a forehead on the table. Funny, how even in this short of a time he was already used to that habit of Minhee. The forehead collided with his hand. 

This was going to be fun. 

  
  


Organising how to attend classes and fulfill his prefect duties, along with explaining the whole mess had been the easy part, Jungmo decided. His life had taken a definitive chaotic turn after he got connected to Minhee, and the younger wasn’t even the most chaotic factor. It was their friends. And while Jungmo loved them, sometimes he would love for them to disappear. For just an hour or so. Just to give them some time away from the immediate chaos. 

The longer they were connected, the more Jungmo had also decided that Minhee was definitely a nice companion. The boy was amicable, amusing and patient in most things. If given the right arguments he could easily be convinced but he also wasn’t too shy about voicing his own opinion - at least he wasn’t since the talk Jungmo had given him to be completely open and honest with him. 

They had accommodated to staying in a one metre radius pretty quickly, save for some mishaps, including an equal parts amusing and embarrassing episode in the shower, one outside, one inside. Now they knew when they were close to being pulled back. And Minhee, Jungmo had once again discovered, was interesting to talk to. The boy had a strange mind, but smart and Jungmo enjoyed being pulled into his universe. They talked a lot, especially when they were going on prefect rounds. Maybe that defeated the purpose of them because they weren’t exactly stealthy, but for once Jungmo didn’t care. 

Their days together were easier to figure out than expected. Jungmo had been surprised on the first morning of school by how hard it had been to wake Minhee up, seeing as they had slept in on the weekend and the younger had been mostly functional when waking up. But when Monday had come and Jungmo’s alarm had rung Minhee hadn’t budged from where he was snuggled into Jungmo. It had taken him almost ten minutes until the younger had even looked at him and Jungmo had to control himself to not just pull the blanket back up over them. Minhee’s hair had been tousled and sticking up in every direction, while his eyes were barely open and his lips in a frumpy pout. It had been unexpectedly adorable. But Sihoon gently calling for him had him snap out of it. 

Getting Minhee up was no easy job, and he was on duty every morning. But the reward was an undeniably adorable Minhee - though grumpy as an offended hippogryph - was trotting behind him and used him as a human pillow to doze off for a few minutes at breakfast before his coffee kicked in. 

So instead of leaving his alarm at the usual time and then getting hectic because they were close to being late, he set it for an earlier time and took his time coaxing the younger awake. It led him to finding out that if awoken slowly, Minhee was much less grumpy and just clingy. He also figured out that between them, Minhee seemed to be clingier, because he would never let go of Jungmo until it was time to do so, and the older took to playing with Minhee’s white hair in the meantime, gently talking to him to make him wake up. Minhee was usually tucked under Jungmo’s chin when he woke up, or snuggled up against his back. 

Despite taking a lot of time, waking Minhee up in the morning was his most peaceful time of the day. Well except for one day. 

Jungmo had been rudely awakened by Yunseong - who had shot up from sleep in the middle of the night, convinced all of them had overslept and had ripped open the curtains to Jungmo’s bed only to screech loudly and scream something about Jungmo having grown extra limbs. 

Jungmo had awakened with a start from the sudden light flooding in (Yunseong had lit the lamps when he had jumped out of bed) and felt like he couldn’t breathe while his friend was staring at him slightly panicked and screaming. There was a pressure on his chest that he needed a second to assign. A quick glance showed him that he was laying on his back, with Minhee rolled onto his chest and his limbs spread out like a starfish. His arms were left and right of Jungmo’s head, one of his legs between his own and the other stretched out. But the boy was completely unperturbed by the sudden mess, he just snuggled deeper into Jungmo’s chest. 

The older Ravenclaw was just about to tell Yunseong to shut up when their door banged open and Wooseok came sprinting in, hair sticking up, eyes barely open and a slipper brandished in his hand like a dangerous weapon. He skittered to a stop and his eyes scanned the room. Three sixth years, still in their beds and barely awake, one standing and at least not screaming anymore and Jungmo, now with his arms wrapped around Minhee. The sudden bang of the door had his protective mode kick in. Minhee was just snuggling into the crook of his neck, something sounding like a whine reaching Jungmo’s ears. 

Wooseok was rubbing his face with his free hand, having barely avoided rubbing the slipper over his face in his sleepy state. 

“What’s going on?” he asked with a yawn and Yunseong turned around to him with a panicked tone. 

“We overslept!” he yelled. “And Jungmo grew extra limbs!”

Wooseok squinted at him as if he wasn’t sure if the sixth year was kidding or not. Jungmo decided to speak up. 

“I think he dreamed something weird,” he explained and Wooseok took a deep breath. 

“Hwang Yunseong,” he said slowly. “It is four o’clock. Go back to bed, and next time this happens, I’ll give you something to panic about.” 

Sihoon let himself fall back onto his pillow with a groan and pulled his blanket over his face while Yunseong nodded dazedly. Steps sounded in the hallway and a tired looking Sejin appeared in the doorway.

“Wooseok,” he said, “you forgot your slipper.” 

He held out the shoe to the still exasperated headboy who took it with a curt “thanks” before he glanced back at the room. He headed over to Jungmo’s bed and smiled at him before he closed the curtain again. Jungmo was sure he heard him whisper something like “cute” under his breath. But he decided to ignore it and closed his eyes, now back in darkness. He was almost back asleep when Minhee’s lips suddenly moved against the skin of his neck. It tickled.

“Do we have to get up?” 

His voice was deep and raspy with sleep and Jungmo hummed a no, carding his fingers through Minhee’s hair. 

“Go back to sleep,” he murmured before dreamland took him back.

That had been an interesting night, really. And as if Yunseong had had a premonition that night, they had promptly overslept. Well, except for Woobin. He had been up already when the rest of them had woken. In a rush, they had jumped out of bed - for once Minhee had woken Jungmo, surprised because he had woken up on his own - and rushed to get dressed and ready for school. They had reached breakfast with a surprising 10 minutes to spare, enough to at least grab a coffee for Minhee and gobble down some sustenance for breakfast. 

And their day hadn’t let off in hectic even after that. Somehow, when planning their schedule, they had missed that they had to run across the whole school between classes. By coincidence they had rooms extremely far from each other, and so they had run from divination in the tower outside into the school grounds for herbology, only to sprint back in for Defense Against the Dark Arts afterwards. When lunch came, both of them felt like they had finished a marathon. With identical sighs they had dropped onto the bench at the Slytherin table. Hangyul, for once not up to teasing after just one glance, had grabbed their plates and filled them with food quickly, patting each of them on the back before turning back to his own lunch. Jungmo had nudged Minhee and they had started eating. Hyeop had eyed them from across the table before he spoke. 

“Rough day?” he asked and Minhee just groaned. Jungmo nodded. 

“We were running around all the time,” he elaborated. Hyeop nodded with a weak smile, before he looked at Jungmo. 

“Are you doing the herbology N.E.W.T. course?” he asked and Jungmo nodded, his mouth full of Shepherds pie. Hyeop grinned at him. 

“Ask Professor Sejeong if you can attend only your course,” he suggested. “We’re only doing care and observation for the next week anyway, along with theory. Minhee can work on that in your course too and it gives you some room to breathe.” 

Minhee looked up, cheeks bulging like a chipmunk. He mumbled something indiscernible and Hyeop’s face pulled into a grimace while Hangyul promptly scolded from beside Jungmo. 

“Chew your food first!” Jungmo suppressed a chuckle and Minhe rolled his eyes but complied with Hangyul’s words. 

“How do you know that?” he asked Hyeop, referring to his herbology tasks. Now, it was Jungmo’s turn to join in on the look of disbelief. 

“She literally told us today,” Hyeop said in a deadpan. “Were you spaced out again?” 

Jungmo snorted. 

“He probably was, he was playing with the mimbulus mimbletonia seedlings,” he commented. Minhee smiled at the memory. 

“They were ticklish,” he said and went back to his food. Jungmo exchanged a glance with Hyeop, baffled by both the innocence and complete disregard of the fact that Minhee had missed the announcement of his class, but Hyeop just looked amused and not surprised at all. That wasn’t an unusual occurrence, it seemed. 

Across from them, Dohyon sat down on the bench. Hangyul looked up and studied the boy with slightly squinted eyes. Dohyon returned the look, just with raised eyebrow on his part. 

“Did you forget your glasses?” he asked and Hangyul rolled his eyes. 

“You're pale,” he said instead. “Did you eat properly?” 

Dohyon mirrored his eye roll, but was already grabbing for the food. 

“I was late to breakfast today,” he said. “So not really. Gonna fix this now, though.” 

Hangyul nodded, then looked at his watch, raised an eyebrow and looked back at Dohyon. 

“You feeling alright though?” he asked, voice just a tad softer than before and Jungmo focused on the younger boy. He really did look a bit pale, shadows just barely visible under his eyes. He looked like he was incredibly tired, aside from not having eaten. EIther that, or he was coming down with something. 

“Be careful so you don’t catch a cold,” he added with a smile and Dohyon glanced over at him. The boy opened his mouth as if he wanted to reply, but stopped and furrowed his brows. He stayed still for a moment before he raised a brow. 

“Hyung,” he said slowly. “I’m confused.”

Now Minhee looked up too. 

“What’s the matter?” 

Dohyon blinked a few times. Then he held out his hand. 

“Might seem odd, but give me your hand for a second,” he asked of Jungmo and the older complied after hesitating for a second. The request _ was _ odd, but Dohyon probably had a reason. The younger grabbed his wrist and leaned closer as if he was inspecting it before he let go. His eyes flew back and forth between Minhee and Jungmo. 

“Hyung,” he said. “You know how you start smelling like someone else if you are close to them a lot?” 

Jungmo nodded and he had a feeling he knew where this was going. 

“We do sleep in one bed, because of the connection…” he started to explain but Dohyon shook his head.

“I know,” he said. “But that’s just a lighter scent that stays. And it’s on both. But you-” he pointed at Jungmo “-have Minhee plastered all over you. Like a layer of clothes.” 

Now Minhee, Hangyul and Hyeop were staring at Jungmo, who felt himself blush. He looked at Minhee and the boy looked about as confused as he was. But then Minhee’s eyes wandered downwards and widened suddenly, fixed on Jungmo’s neck. 

“Hyung,” he said slowly. “You’re wearing my shirt.” 

Jungmo promptly looked down. He was wearing his usual school uniform: slacks, white shirt, sweater vest and robes. Nothing out of the usual. Minhee leaned closer and his hair was just beneath his nose. Then he suddenly looked up, face just centimetres from Jungmo’s. 

“That’s definitely my shirt, I spilled some tea on the sleeve yesterday,” he declared proudly and Jungmo leaned back a bit. 

“Sorry?” he stuttered out but Minhee just waved it off and turned back to his food. 

“It’s fine,” he said. “You probably grabbed it in the rush this morning.” 

Jungmo shrugged and turned back to his own food, but looked up at Dohyon one more time. 

“Your sense of smell is amazing,” he said, but the younger waved it off. 

“It’s more annoying than useful most of the time,” he replied and continued eating. “I don’t weally wike it.”

Hangyul’s head shot up and he glared at the younger. 

“Chew your food before you speak!” he scolded. Dohyon just rolled his eyes.

  
  


It took Minhee one week before he spoke up about something that he apparently had been thinking about. He brought it up in the evening, when they were on patrol and had reached a corridor with no paintings. It was cute how Minhee knew almost every painting by name and many of them asked how he was doing. But if he wanted to talk about something personal, he had to wait for a corridor without them listening. 

“I’m sorry for always clinging to you in my sleep,” he mumbled out that evening and Jungmo was so surprised that he stopped dead in his tracks. Minhee looked at him, eyes wide and innocent. 

“Why are you apologising?” Jungmo asked, flabbergasted. Minhee shrugged. 

“I just thought,” he started hesitantly, “you have to wake up every morning with me not letting you and I don’t even know if you like skinship, and I just thought…” 

He trailed off. Jungmo stepped a bit closer and placed a hand on Minhee’s arm. 

“Hey,” he said. “If I really didn’t like it, I could just make you let go in the morning and then wake you. But I really don’t mind.” 

Minhee looked a bit doubtful and Jungmo raised his hands in defense. 

“I admit I was surprised the first time. But I really don’t mind, and it’s not like you do it intentionally.”

Minhee seemed to blush a bit, but Jungmo carried on with his words. 

“I even think that I might like it, subconsciously or something, because I rarely ever sleep on my side, but I’ve been waking up on my side with you cuddled up to me all week and…” 

Minhee was definitely blushing now. 

“About that,” he said slowly and Jungmo looked at him. The poor boy looked like he was about to combust. 

“What?” he asked and Minhee looked down. 

“I might have something to do with that,” he admitted sheepishly and Jungmo blinked. 

“What do you mean?” he asked and Minhee raised a hand and awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. 

“With you sleeping on your side,” he said. Now Jungmo was completely lost. He tilted his head. 

“You snore,” Minhee confessed and Jungmo felt heat crawl up his neck. Well, nothing new here. 

“And you stop snoring when you sleep on your side,” Minhee confessed. Jungmo nodded, barely comprehending. 

“So I figured,” the younger continued, “I needed to keep you on your side.”

Jungmo slowly figured out where this was going. 

“So you cuddled up to me?” he asked and Minhee nodded. That was definitely unexpected news. Jungmo wasn’t sure how to react. But he wasn’t mad. Not at all. Instead, he chuckled. 

“That’s actually pretty smart,” he said and Minhee’s head shot up. 

“I told you I don’t mind,” he said. “And if it helps you sleep, I can’t blame you. So keep doing it.”

Minhee looked stunned. His eyes were wide and his mouth stood open, while his hands were clasping the hem of his sweater. Jungmo smirked a bit. 

“Though when I woke up to Yunseong screaming I was on my back,” he said contemplatively. “And I don’t think I was snoring back then.” 

Minhee looked at him, his eyes boring into Jungmo’s. Then he returned the smirk, and Jungmo’s breath caught for just a second. 

“That was because I was laying on your chest,” the younger explained. “Seems like I took your breath away.” 

Jungmo tried to stay serious, but he failed within two seconds - and so did Minhee. They burst into laughter, breathless and relieving. Whenever they looked at each other, they were done for again and it took them a good five minutes to calm down again. 

Minhee glanced shyly at Jungmo. His hair was slightly tousled from doubling over in laughter and his cheeks were flushed. Jungmo looked at him and to his own surprise his heartbeat picked up. Not much, but it was there. Their smiles were lingering. 

“So we’re okay?” Minhee asked and Jungmo nodded. 

“We are,” he replied and opened his arms. “I don’t mind cuddling with you.” 

Minhee stepped forward into the embrace, his arms snaking around Jungmo’s waist and his face promptly hidden against the juncture of his neck and shoulder. He closed his arms around the younger boy and leaned his cheeks against his hair before turning his face slightly and nuzzling into the light strands. 

In the dim light on the moon outside they looked like starlight. A boy with hair like starlight. But he wasn’t cold like the stars in their endless universe. He was warm, warm against Jungmo as he held him, and warm in his character. Warm like his breath that Jungmo felt against the skin of his neck, and the slight, barely there brush of his lips when Minhee moved his head just the slightest bit.

He wrapped his arms tighter around the boy at the feeling of goosebumps against his neck and his heart was thumping in his chest quickly. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do you say? These two finally got their shit together, and it was almost relieving to write it, to be quite honest. Though a certain beta was somewhat emo at the sight of this ship finally setting sail. But well, that's what we signed up for. 
> 
> Alrighty, we saw that a lot of you were hoping for Yoho in the comments, and just to give you a little heads up: they will be back next chapter, I promise! We're already working on it! 
> 
> But before they come back, tell us what you thought in the comments or on https://twitter.com/chaos_kisses


	28. Of jealousy, stars and just a little bit of confusion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Helloooooo! We are back at it again and as promised it's Yohan and Junho today! Hope you like what we got in store for you. 
> 
> Another thing: we already put it into our endnotes (if everything worked as it was supposed to) but we'll say it again on here. We were thinking of adding more tags to the work but we didn't know which to take. So we would like your input if there is anything you would think would fit or that is missing. Message us on Twitter (@chaos_kisses) or leave a comment! 
> 
> Thanks so much and enjoy.... whatever this mess is;)

The week had started out rather dreadingly for Yohan, classes seemingly taking longer and the days had lost a few hours - at least that’s how he felt like. But judging by how the rest of the Sixth Years were groaning he wasn’t the only one. Christmas break was already a few weeks past, they were close to the week of winter break and all their teachers seemed to think that a free week meant they had to compensate for it somehow. And maybe they did, considering they were getting closer to exams. But still. 

Yohan had met up with some classmates in the Ravenclaw Common Room - one of the few occasions he wasn’t here to see his best friend - and they had been working on the pile of homework they had received over the last few days. Practise had taken a considerable chunk of time out of his schedule but after the positive evaluation he had received after the last game, he had to admit that it was worth it. For this year, there were only two more games left for his team and neither was close. So he had to focus on schoolwork for now. 

“Yunseong, I don’t think your transfiguration homework will write itself,” a voice said from behind them and Yohan glanced up at the familiar tone. Eunbi was standing beside their table, arms in her sides and Kookheon behind her with a soft smile. Yohan chuckled inwardly. For how awkward Kookheon seemed with affection half of the time, there was no denying the obvious love in his face whenever he looked at Eunbi. 

Said girl glanced over at Yohan’s work and snorted. 

“Yohan, that’s your astronomy chart, maybe you shouldn’t write on that.” 

Yohan glanced down, and true to her words he had just started writing the topic of his DADA essay on poor Orion. He winced and was about to hecticly try and remove the ink when Eunbi’s hand fell on his shoulder. 

“Let me,” she said and pointed her wand at the parchment. The ink of what he had written along with a big droplet of ink he had spilled without noticing were absorbed from the paper, leaving only his entries in the star chart. He sighed in relief; usually, he managed to remove too much. 

“Thanks,” he said with a smile directed at Eunbi and the girl patted his shoulder before she went over to look at what Yunseong was trying to achieve. His friend had been struggling with the essay on a detailed description and explanation on the magical flow and theory behind one of the spells they had learned over the past term but that they personally hadn’t mastered yet. A topic Yohan had steadily ignored for now - he was planning on asking Hangyul for help with that. The Slytherin had a knack for spell theory.

Eunbi leaned over the paper, eyes scanning the open books as she asked for the spell. Yunseong replied in a small voice, sounding much less boisterous than usually and with frustration laced onto his features. Eunbi nodded as he laid out the theory of the spell, but apparently his main problem was explaining the magical flow - the direct execution of it. Eunbi nodded and was silent for a moment, before she started explaining some aspects of the spell to Yunseong who was nodding along, his eyebrows furrowed. They weren’t speaking loud enough for Yohan to understand most of it from the opposite side of the table, but apparently Eunbi had explained enough for Yunseong’s eyes to light up as he excitedly replied. Eunbi smiled brightly at him and nodded - they seemed to have reached a breakthrough. 

“How does she always seem to know everything,” he asked Kookheon who had stepped behind him. The older chuckled but shrugged. 

“I have no idea,” he said. “She works hard, but how she remembers it - I can’t do it.” 

Yohan nodded and looked up at Kookheon, whose eyes hadn’t left Eunbi as she looked at Sihoon’s work too before commenting on something Byungchan was writing. Yohan smirked. 

“You’re drooling, hyung,” he commented off-handedly and Kookheon’s hands promptly flew up to cover his mouth as he mumbled out an apology. It took the older a second to catch on to the practical joke and he directed a glare at Yohan who was grinning widely. 

“Yohan,” he said threateningly but as if summoned to be his guardian angel, Eunbi reappeared beside her boyfriend. 

“Leave the boy to study, Kookheon,” she scolded the Gryffindor lightly and smiled at Yohan before she pulled a protesting Kookheon with her. Yohan chuckled at the sight before he turned back to his paper. Fresh parchment and off he went again with his DADA paper. 

It took him almost an hour to write it. Long enough, considering they were only supposed to write a short essay. But if he could do well on it, the better for him. With a sigh he closed his textbook and leaned back when arms snaked over his shoulders from behind and a weight that felt like someone else’s head was rested on his hair. He startled for just a second, but the deep chuckle and familiar hands had him smile within a second. 

He stretched his arms over his head with a yawn and reached up to tousle Junho’s hair (almost poking him in the eye thanks to his aim) before he trailed his hand down the side of his friend’s head to his shoulder and over his arm until he could grab his wrists. 

“Are you done for today?” Junho asked and Yohan sighed. 

“For now, yes,” he replied. He had managed to get a chunk of his homework pile done, but there was always more coming. “You?”

Junho hummed. 

“We went over older material today,” he said quietly enough to not disturb the other sixth years at the table, though Sihoon had looked up at the sound of Junho speaking before and had smiled at the boy. Yohan had promptly dodged the arrow of jealousy the green monster in his chest had shot at him. 

“I’m done!” Byungchan announced and threw his quill on the table, stretching his long body like a cat. Yunseong followed just a moment later and let his head drop onto his parchment - only to shoot up again with a panicked expression. He hadn’t waited for the ink to dry, but for once the boy was lucky. Nothing had smudged save for some dots. 

Sihoon let out a sigh and pointedly ended a sentence on his half-finished essay for herbology. 

“I got no more motivation,” he announced and the rest of the boys nodded in unison. That was definitely true for all of them. 

“I’m going to bed,” Yunseong announced with a yawn, already gathering his papers and books in a messy pile. “I am in desperate need of sleep.”

Byungchan nodded in affirmation at that and Yohan looked at his housemate. 

“Are we going back together?” he asked but Byungchan grinned and shook his head. “I have something else to do.” 

Sihoon snorted and looked at the Gryffindor with a raised eyebrow. 

“You do know that it’s theoretically past curfew?” he asked and Byungchan’s smile turned from cheeky to angelic. 

“I’ll just have to make sure I’m not getting caught then,” he stated while he packed away his notes and books. Sihoon chuckled and shook his head. 

“Don’t come crying to me then,” he said off-handedly. “And avoid the third floor, if you can. That one overzealous Slytherin girl is there, and we always have to stop her from taking too many points.” 

Byungchan saluted with a quick “thanks” and then headed for the door. Yunseong was laughing under his breath as he got up too. 

“I wonder what he’s up to,” he said. “Anyways, good night, lads!” 

Their chorussed replies were taken in by Yunseong with a smile before the boy headed off too. Yohan glanced around the Common Room and noticed that it was almost empty. Only some stragglers were still around. 

“Guess I should head back too, then,” he said. He could feel Junho move on his head. 

“You’re not staying?” 

Even without seeing it, he knew the younger was pouting. And most times he would be absolutely weak for it. But today wasn’t the day. He gently shook his head, careful not to jostle the younger too much. He was still holding on to Junho’s wrists and without meaning to do so, he had started rubbing circles into them with his thumbs. 

“Not today,” he replied. “You know we both got first period tomorrow. We can’t end up chatting till ass o’clock.” 

Junho hummed, still sounding miffed but he knew the younger understood as well as he did. He would love to stay. But not today. 

Sihoon’s gentle voice drifted towards them. 

“Talking about the time,” he said, “it’s already really late, so all of us should probably head to bed.” 

Yohan glanced at the clock at true - it was already past eleven. He would have to be careful. With a sigh he leaned forward, regrettably letting Junho lift his head off and rest only his hands on Yohan’s shoulders as he started gathering his things. 

“I’ll take you back to the tower,” Sihoon said with a smile and Yohan looked at him, slightly stunned by the offer. It wasn’t the first time but it really was late and Sihoon would have to go back after all. 

“I’ll manage,” he tried but the Ravenclaw waved it off. 

“Don’t bother,” he said. “I wanted to ask you something on DADA anyways, so I can make it a double kill: you don’t get in trouble, and I get an answer without keeping you here for too long. Deal?” 

If said like this, he really couldn’t refuse. And he much preferred this over sneaking through the corridors with his guard up. He nodded and Sihoon grinned. 

“Alright, let me just take my stuff to my dorm and then we’ll be off in a second.” 

And like a sudden whirlwind, he got up from his chair and headed towards the stairs. Yohan looked after him as he absentmindedly stuffed his last folder into his bag. His thoughts were interrupted by Junho sneaking his arms around him again and pulling him back into his chair, this time placing his chin on Yohan’s shoulder and wrapping his arms around him like a koala. His hair tickled against Yohan’s ear. 

“Sihoon is kind,” the younger mumbled and Yohan hummed in agreement. 

“He doesn’t need to do this,” he said and felt Junho nod. Fingers brushed against his upper arm where the younger’s hand was. Goosebumps broke out on his skin. 

“But he does anyways,” Junho said. “And that’s what makes him kind.” 

That was an undeniable fact. Yohan turned his head slightly to look at Junho who did the same a second later. Their faces were close and Yohan could feel warm breath hitting his skin. With everyone else, he would probably move away, but with Junho it was familiar. He smiled. 

“I’ll stay tomorrow,” he promised his friend who studied his eyes for a second, a slight frown maring his forehead. 

“Only if you really want to,” he said and Yohan knew that if he said no tomorrow, Junho wouldn’t be cross with him. But this promise was also for himself. He wanted to stay, and he wanted to have a reason to make enough time. He leaned slightly forward so his nose touched Junho’s for just a second, just a light touch. The younger’s smile returned, soft and warm this time, before he let go and looked towards the stairs. Sihoon was just coming around the bend. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow then?” Yohan asked and got up from his seat, looking at Junho one more time, who nodded and placed a hand on his arm for a moment before he glanced at Sihoon who was approaching them. 

“I’ll see you,” he said and squeezed Yohan’s arm again before he let go and went around the older to head towards the stairs. His hand didn’t quite go, and instead trailed over Yohan’s arm and then across his back as Junho passed him. He felt like the feeling of the touch lingered for longer than should be possible, but instead of pondering on it he grabbed his bag and faced Sihoon. 

“Off we go,” he announced and the Ravenclaw nodded and headed for the door. Yohan followed him outside and down the stairs in silence until they reached the corridor when he remembered Sihoon’s reason to take him back. 

“What did you want to know about DADA?” he asked and looked at the smaller boy. Sihoon glanced up and smiled lopsidedly. 

“Nothing,” he replied. “I just needed a reason to talk to you in private.” 

Yohan slowed his steps for a moment as he tried to catch up. This was unexpected. 

“Okay?” he muttered. “Why did you need to talk in private though?”

Sihoon smiled again, but this time it was a mirthless smile.

“I wasn’t sure how you’d react,” he admitted. “But I needed to go through with it before I lost the courage to do so.”

That sounded ominous, if anything. He tilted his head and was about to ask further, when Sihoon spoke again.

“It’ll probably seem weird that I’m telling you this. And why I am. But to be quite honest-”

Sihoon stopped in his tracks and turned to Yohan with a shaky smile. 

“I can see you looking at me, you know,” he said calmly and Yohan started to get really confused. What was Sihoon getting at with this? He noticed how Yohan looked at him? Did he make a weird face or something?

SIhoon turned back and continued walking. The Gryffindor stumbled after him. 

“It’s understandable,” Sihoon continued. “If I was in your shoes, I would probably do the same. That doesn’t mean that I like it though.” 

Yohan opened his mouth to speak, but his brain was drawing a blank. Only a squeaky sound of confusion came out. Sihoon chuckled and shook his head, his steps slowing down. 

“What do you mean if you were in my shoes?” Yohan asked when his brain decided to log on again. 

Sihoon faltered for a second but continued walking. Yohan caught up to him, eyes focussed on the boy. The Ravenclaw sighed and then stopped, turning to Yohan again. His face was carefully neutral but Yohan saw his hands move about, clasping his sleeves before releasing them again. 

“Yohan,” he started carefully, “I have eyes. I can see the way you look at me, okay? And you’re a friend, so to be honest I’m not quite happy with it. 

Wait. Hold on a second. Yohan knew he was gaping, and he probably looked spectacularly dumb doing so but his brain had come to a screeching halt as he processed what Sihoon was telling him and it came to only one conclusion. Christ, he really needed to get his expression under control. 

“No, no, no, no,no,” he said frantically, “you got it all wrong! It’s not, I don’t, you misunderstand it’s not you or something it’s all on me, I’m sorry you thought I was - oh Lord.”

Sihoon gave him a puzzled look as Yohan rambled on, his hands completing a weird dance in the air as he tried to explain himself. 

“Yohan,” he stopped the Gryffindor’s incoherent rambling, “it’s not just about how I feel on this, it’s about you too, and I just want to clear the air between us because with the way it is it is not going to work out-”

Yohan panicked. He frantically waved his hands in front of Sihoon’s face. 

“No, really, Sihoon, you misunderstood. I don’t- this is not-” 

He took a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself before he spoke again. 

“The thing is I didn’t think I was being obvious, but I guess my feelings got the better of me because you were spending so much time with Junho and you got so close and I got- kind of jealous I guess?”

He looked into Sihoon’s eyes who looked slightly taken aback. 

“But it’s not because of you, it’s because of me, and I honestly don’t see you that way because...”

A wave of something akin to resignation washed over him as he realised that if he wanted to clear this up, he would have to come clear. 

“Because I’m in love Junho - I’ve been, you know, for the longest time I guess. I just started realising it more when you spent time and I guess you got the broadside of my emotions-”

“Hold on,” Sihoon said and blinked a few times. His voice sounded utterly perplexed as he tried to follow Yohan’s chaotic explanation. 

“Are you saying you thought I thought you liked me?” he asked, tone flabbergasted and then groaned. “Gosh, that sentence in itself makes my head hurt, what the hell?”

Yohan gaped at the Ravenclaw, eyes wide and slightly overstrained. 

“Uhm,” he replied intelligently and Sihoon raised his eyebrows expectantly. “Was I wrong?” 

His voice shook as he uttered the question and despite already knowing from Sihoon’s reaction that that must be the case he still asked. The Ravenclaw nodded slowly, his face somewhere between concentration and hysterics. Yohan could feel the same feelings bubble up inside him. 

“Well, at least we got this taken care of,” Sihoon commented while shaking his head. “Granted I could have worded that a bit less ambiguously.”

Sihoon took a deep breath and the air became more somber again. 

“Yohan, I never thought you liked me that way,” Sihoon started out again. “And to be quite frank, I know about your feelings for Junho - at least I figured out it was more than just friendship for you.” 

Yohan felt his cheeks grow hot. So he probably was more obvious than he had been aware of. But that wasn’t even the point right now - on the other hand, what was the point, actually?

Sihoon was studying him, his face harder than usually, and his stance more tense. 

“Listen,” he started and his voice sounded unusually shaky. “I like Junho. Everytime I look at him and see him smile or see how passionate he gets over history, my heart speeds up and I just want to hold him and-” 

He broke off, eyes closed for a second. Yohan was stunned at the sudden statement. He had practically known about Sihoon’s affection for Junho but to have it laid out in front of him was different. He wasn’t sure how to feel about this, but he stayed quiet for now. Sihoon had said he needed to do this, so he owed him to at least let him finish. It took a few seconds before the other spoke again. 

“I like him,” he repeated. “And I know that you know, and that you are all but happy with it. And at first I thought it was a protective best friend thing, but then-” 

Sihoon took a deep breath and his voice lost the previous hardness, became softer, sadder. 

“Seeing you two together, it made me understand why you reacted that way,” he explained and Yohan felt his heart rate pick up even more. Sihoon studied him for a second before he smiled dryly. 

“You admitting your feelings also makes it easier for me in a way,” he continued. “At least I know I’m not completely off and that this is probably the right decision.” 

Yohan wasn’t sure how he felt about this whole confession. His suspicions had been confirmed, but at the same time everything just seemed more confusing now. Where was this whole thing going?

“If it had just been you, it’s unlikely I would be doing this,” he said. “But Junho looks at you the same way you look at him. I can’t speak for him of course, but I do notice. I see the difference from how he looks at me and how he looks and acts around you. And believe me, it’s so different.”

Yohan was sure that by now his whole face was bright red as he tried to comprehend Sihoon’s words. Was he seriously trying to tell him that Junho saw him as more than a friend too? Or was he misunderstanding something this time? But it seemed pretty straightforward if taken like this. He blinked a few times and took a deep breath. 

“Why are you telling me this?” he asked. His voice sounded rough, a bit croaky and he cleared his throat. Sihoon grinned, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes.

“I’m not quite sure,” Sihoon said contemplatively, his eyes inspecting his clasped hands. “I think it’s mainly for selfish reasons. Because I wanted confirmation, I wanted to decide on this on my own after not being able to properly decide on my own emotions and I guess because I wanted things to be okay. For all of us.” 

“What do you mean ‘okay’?” Yohan asked anxiously. “I mean, we are, aren’t we? I’m sorry I acted jealous and if it hurt you - I really didn’t mean to, I didn’t even realise that I was doing it in the beginning. But it’s not changing anything between us-” 

“Yohan,” Sihoon interrupted his chattering. The Gryffindor stopped in his tracks and looked at the other. 

“You’re not going to like this but things… they’ve already changed. Not because anyone here is ‘at fault’ but it’s different. After what I told you, what you told me - it changed things. And it keeps on doing so. What I mean with ‘okay’ is that it doesn’t change for the worse.”

The taller boy nodded slowly, processing everything. Sihoon lifted his hand, hesitating for a second before he placed it on Yohan’s arm. 

“What I really wanted to say was that you don’t worry. About me and Junho I mean. I won’t try to make him feel the same.”

Yohan’s eyes widened and another wave of warmth flooded his body as relief took hold of his heart - along with a certain feeling of guilt.

“I’m backing off for my sake,” Sihoon elaborated. “I like Junho, but honestly? I don’t want to put all my hopes on this, knowing that if push comes to shove, I am way more likely to get hurt. And I’d rather keep him as a friend.” 

His smile turned devilish. 

“If only to kick your ass in case you screw up with him,” he added and Yohan swallowed. He was sure Sihoon was telling him the truth but the whole situation seemed incredibly strange. 

“That was basically it. That’s what I wanted to say,” Sihoon said in a light-hearted tone and turned back around. “Let’s get you home.” 

That was an abrupt ending. Once again, Yohan stumbled after the Ravenclaw, silent this time and stewing in his own thoughts, trying to make sense of this whole thing. They went down the corridors without exchanging a word, each of them stewing in their own thoughts until they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady. Sihoon came to a stop and turned around. Yohan looked down at his classmate, and only now did he notice that Sihoon’s supposed poise was just a facade. 

The boy looked a bit scared, his eyes wide and his features tense as he returned Yohan’s gaze. The Gryffindor took another moment until he realised: he hadn’t really said anything to Sihoon about the confession. He had only been silent. And apparently he seemed threatening if Sihoon’s face was anything to go by. He swallowed and came to a stop. 

“Why didn’t you tell Junho, though?” he asked. “Just to make sure you’re not making the wrong decision?” 

Sihoon pursed his lips as he thought of an answer. Yohan could see how the Fat Lady was peeking at them from her closed eyelids, pretending to sleep.

“I don’t think he noticed my feelings. You did but that’s different. But Junho - I don’t want to go through the rejection if I’m trying to get over it anyway. I considered doing it but talking to you seemed more important. Because you knew already.” 

Nothing to argue with that, the Gryffindor had to agree. 

“Are we...okay?” Sihoon said quietly and Yohan realised once more that he hadn’t answered. He nodded quickly. 

“We are,” he said. “I’m not gonna pretend that I get why you’re doing this - but we’re good. Don’t worry, honestly.”

Relief flooded Sihoon’s features and he let out a breath he seemed to have been holding. 

“I owe you an apology too,” Yohan added with a sheepish grin. “For acting like that I mean. And for thinking you liked me. I wasn’t even mad at you, I think - with Junho. It was more about the fact that you seemed so open in your emotions and honestly?”

He chuckled. 

“For the first time since I got to know him, I wasn’t sure if I was reading Junho right. He seemed so open with you, so relaxed, and you got him out of his shell so easily. I think I was also jealous of that.” 

Sihoon shook his head with a smile. Yohan bit his lip and looked at the Ravenclaw. 

“I honestly don’t know what to say about what you told me? I feel like I should say sorry? For your loss or-”

“Don’t,” Sihoon interrupted him and held up a hand. “Just-”

He took a deep breath. 

“Just drop it, I guess. I-” 

He ran a hand through his hair. 

“Truthfully, I don’t wanna talk about it. At least not with you - I don’t mean that in a bad way or something. I just - I guess it would feel like you wouldn’t be completely honest? About what you think of my emotions, or how I should act or-” 

He broke off. 

“It doesn’t matter,” he said with finality. “I just don’t want this to stand between any of us.”

And Yohan did understand. He nodded. 

“Alright,” he said. “Then thanks. For taking me back, I mean, and also for talking.” 

“No problem,” came Sihoon’s easy reply. His voice was just a bit more airy than before and Yohan could see him swallow heavily. Yohan nodded at the boy and turned to the Fat Lady who woke from her ‘sleep’ theatrically and opened after he mumbled the password. He was already halfway through the opening when he turned back. 

“Sihoon,” he said and the other turned around again. “If you ever need to talk, about anything, I’m here for you. Okay?” 

The boy nodded and Yohan returned it before he went through the portal. He was sure that when he glanced over his shoulder just before the painting closed again, he saw the boy rub his eyes. 

.oO°Oo.

The next day was kind of strange. Yohan woke earlier than usually, so utterly sudden as if someone had flipped a switch, but he just stayed in bed, staring at the ceiling and once more going over the talk with Sihoon yesterday. His mind was still going in circles over everything and after half an hour he decided to shelf it for now. No use fretting over it. He glanced at his alarm clock and noticed that it was only a few minutes before it was supposed to ring. With a sigh he sat up, turned off the alarm function and got up. Time to start the day. 

When he got to the Great Hall with Byungchan about 20 minutes later, his eyes wandered to the Ravenclaw table by themselves, immediately scanning over the faces in search of Junho. When he saw the younger, he smiled to himself but followed Byungchan to their table. Opposite of them, a bleary Jinhyuk was trying to spread jam on porridge with a fork. Yohan did a double take.

“Hyung,” he said slowly, “what are you trying to do?” 

Jinhyuk looked up at him sleepily. 

“Breakfast,” he said in a voice still rough with sleep. “The toast is being a bit difficult today.” 

Juri, a seventh year beside Jinhyuk looked up, rolled her eyes and held out a spoon at Jinhyuk who took it with a confused expression. Yohan snorted. 

“Hyung,” he said as if he was talking to a child. “That-” he pointed at the bowl, “is porridge. Not toast.”

Jinhyuk’s face went into a surprised expression. Then it lit up. 

“That makes it easier,” he proclaimed and started spooning the porridge into his mouth. Byungchan was wheezing next to Yohan by now. Talk about functional human beings. He automatically glanced back at the Ravenclaw table - and immediately spotted Jungmo and Minhee opposite of an amused Junho. The Slytherin boy was practically slumped over Jungmo’s shoulder who was saying something to him - probably trying to make him wake up. Junho chuckled and looked up, as if he had noticed something looking at him. His eyes scanned the Gryffindor table for a second before he found Yohan and smiled at him. Yohan felt his own face light up in a smile and he chuckled when Junho glanced at the Slytherin-Ravenclaw duo opposite of him with a raised eyebrow. 

Yohan turned back around in time to barely dodge an owl that had gone almost straight into his face. He ducked only for Byungchan to reach up and grab the confused bird. It was looking around with wide eyes, hooting nervously and only calming down when Byungchan started speaking to it in a soothing tone. Then it held out it’s leg with a small roll attached to it. Byungchan removed it and fiddled with it for a second before he managed to take off the lid. A roll of parchment slid from it. 

“Another letter from your buddy?” Yohan asked and Byungchan nodded, an excited grin on his face. 

“Finally,” he said. “He hasn’t written for a while, stress at school and stuff.” 

Yohan nodded and glanced at the letter before he looked away. It wasn’t his place to read anything, but just one short look had shown him the neat handwriting that had become somewhat familiar. Byungchan had shown him a few of the letters, and from what he had read, whoever was writing to Byungchan seemed nice enough. But he knew that his friend was getting more and more curious to find out who it was, and that he was building up his courage to ask - for a name if nothing else.

He patted Byungchan’s shoulder and turned back to his breakfast. He would find a solution in the end, that Yohan was sure of. 

The day went by slowly and by the end of it Yohan was ready to just crawl back into bed. But he had practice after school, and so headed out. The wind that had been blowing for the past week had hardly let up and now dark clouds were piling up over the field. Yohan glanced up wearily as he headed to the changing room with Yujin and Miyu.

“Looks like rain,” Yujin commented and Miyu hummed. 

“If we’re lucky,” she countered. “Looks more like a whole thunderstorm to me.”

Yohan had to agree. The mountains were already shrouded in darkness and the sky had taken on a menacing colour. As if on cue, low grumbles echoed from the mountains. Both girls looked at Yohan as if on cue. 

“Are you hungry?” Yujin asked with a grin and Yohan snorted at the lame joke but nodded. 

“Terribly,” he played along. They reached the field when the first drops started falling and hurried into their changing room. The rest of the team was already gathered and Kookheon looked up at them as they entered, nodding in acknowledgement. 

“We’re starting out on the field for a bit,” he said, “but we’ll back in soon. Better to do some tactics and planning instead of being hit by lightning today.” 

The team agreed easily and followed him outside a few minutes later. The rain was already falling in thick droplets, painting the wood of the stands a darker colour and obscuring the view to the other end. Kookheon looked at the team as he climbed onto his broomstick. 

“Quaffle passes,” he called. “Still at first, then moving across the field. Interception with tennis balls by the Beaters, Seeker tries to catch them without being hit by the Quaffle. Take-off.” 

His short instruction was enough for their team and they lifted off the ground immediately. The rain was beating against them, drenching them in a matter of minutes. They played in a circle for a bit, then they started circling around their Seeker Nayoung, forming an orb. On Kookheons signal, they broke formation and headed towards the goals, the chasers and keeper constantly being intercepted by their beaters. The wind and rain made it hard to keep course or predict the movement of players and ball, but all in all they managed. They were out for almost an hour until Kookheon called for a stop. 

The rest of training was spent inside, everyone quickly heading for the showers and then huddling up in the warm changing room. The tactics meeting was boring and Yohan nodded off at some point, only to be nudged awake by Jinhyuk again - thankfully, because Kookheon would have his head otherwise. But their captain seemed tired enough himself and when a loud snore came from Yuri, he barely blinked and just sent them off. Yohan sighed and rubbed his eyes. Now it was single practise. 

But apparently, fate had different plans for him. The door opened just as Miyu headed for it and Professor Kang entered, surprisingly dry and followed by an equally dry Junho. He looked around and nodded at the team before he found Kookheon. 

“Additional practice for today is cancelled,” he announced. “The wind has gotten too strong and it started hailing a few minutes back. I don’t want just you two to go out there, it’s too dangerous.” 

Kookheon nodded and went to Professor Kang, probably to discuss the time slot for their additional training while the team headed out already and Junho stepped up to Yohan. 

“Seems like you’ll stay dry for today,” he commented and Yohan grimaced. 

“We were out there already, earlier,” he explained and Junho winced at the thought. Then he looked back at Yohan, expression questioning. 

“Are you going to meet up at our’s again today?” he asked and Yohan racked his brain for an answer. Indeed, were they planning on doing so? He didn’t think so. He shook his head in reply. 

“I was gonna head up to our Common Room after practice,” he stated and went to grab his stuff from his locker. “Do you wanna come?” 

Junho grinned and followed. 

“One step ahead of you,” he said. “Minnie and Sang decided they wanted to play exploding snap with Chaewon today, so we headed over already. I was gonna decide on where to stay when you got back.” 

Yohan chuckled at the thought. The fifth years playing exploding snap was usually chaos, because Chaewon had somehow managed to get a Weasley’s deck and it exploded with different force and effects - but eventually, there was always glitter and sometimes a missing eyebrow. 

“That’s actually good,” he finally replied to Junho’s words. “I was gonna go over some stuff with Jungmo if I got the chance and if Minhee’s there, he will be.”

Junho grinned. 

“You bet,” he said. Yohan closed his locker and glanced at Professor Kang and Kookheon who seemed to have finished their talk. Professor Kang turned to them and nodded as if inquiring that they too were done. Then he pointed his wand at them. 

“Protege pluviae,” he said. “We can’t have you get wet and cold out there.” 

When Yohan stepped out, he understood how the spell worked. It was like a bubble of warm air was around him. The rain hit it like it would do on glass and slid off, but he was fully protected, save for his feet on the ground. Only the wind wasn’t kept out entirely. The four of them hurried back to the castle, careful not to slip on the muddy ground and upon reaching the warm entrance hall Yohan felt relieved. Training out in that weather would have been hell. 

Professor Kang waved goodbye at them when they reached the top of the stairs and headed into the castle, as the three boys made their way to the Gryffindor tower in silence. Yohan felt a wave of tiredness wash over him and let out a sigh when he eventually dropped onto the sofa at the table their friends were occupying. Close enough to the fire to be nice and toasty. Junho sat down next to him. 

Eunsang, Minhee, Chaewon, and to his surprise Jungmo were engaged in a serious game of exploding snap, all four of them leaning over the table, dangerously close to the slightly vibrating cards. That couldn’t end well, Yohan decided and glanced at Junho who was looking at them with excited amusement.

“They are gonna regret getting so close,” he whispered and Junho nodded. 

“Not like it would be the first time,” he replied easily and Yohan hummed before he laid his head on Junho’s shoulder. Maybe he could sneak in a little nap before he started on school work. He closed his eyes and let himself be lulled in by the chatter of the room. 

Gentle fingers were carding through his hair and he felt warm and comfortable, safe for the slight pull in his left side. He sighed and snuggled deeper in what he supposed was the lap of someone (most likely Junho) and sighed. He felt more than heard the low chuckle rumble through the younger as his hands stopped for a second before they resumed their previous task. 

With his senses slowly returning, Yohan assessed the situation. He was laying on the sofa with his head in Junho’s lap. He had probably slipped down from his shoulder, or the younger had pulled him down. The light ache in his side was his protesting muscles from laying in this position for a while, considering his feet were still on the ground. He opened his eyes and blinked a few times as he got adjusted to the sudden light. 

The wind was still howling around the castle and he could hear the rain pelt against the windows, accompanied by the low grumble of thunder. The sky outside was dark, but he couldn’t tell if it was because of the time or the weather.

With a groan he turned onto his back and threw his legs over the armrest of the sofa he was laying on before he looked up at Junho. His friend had been running his hands through Yohan’s hair as he slept and now that he was on his back, one was still resting on the black locks while the other was laid high on his chest between his collarbones. The boy was smiling down at him, eyes warm and hair slightly tousled. 

“Hey,” he said and Yohan felt the hand on his head move, brushing stray hair away from his forehead. The touch against his skin had him almost shiver, and Sihoon’s words from yesterday flooded back into his mind. ‘He looks at you the same way you look at him’. This was probably the moment when he should be getting nervous but instead, warmth felt his chest and bled into his limbs. He smiled back up. 

“Hey,” he croaked out. “How long was I asleep?” 

“About an hour,” Jungmo’s voice said from beside Junho and Yohan craned his neck to catch a glimpse of the older. He was holding a book in his lap while Minhee beside him was still playing exploding snap. Jungmo smiled at Yohan. 

“Junho was asleep too until ten minutes ago,” he explained and the younger Ravenclaw giggled.

“Beautiful sight it was,” a new voice said from the direction of his feet and Yohan looked down just in time to see Dongpyo before the boy laid down on Yohan. For how small he was, he still brought the air out of Yohan’s unprepared lungs. He wheezed and Dongpyo giggled. 

“You were snoring,” he continued and poked Yohan’s cheek with a finger before he pointed at Junho. “And he was sitting here with his head on the back of the sofa, creating the harmony to it.”

Yohan giggled at the thought, jostling Dongpyo on top of him, who screeched and then slid off to save himself. 

“Anyway, it’s dinner in a bit,” he said and Yohan nodded. Junho’s hand was once more carding through his hair and he closed his eyes again at the feeling. It was calming, familiar - home. Everything was just so easy with Junho, so familiar and comfortable. Maybe he was worrying too much over everything, over his feelings for the younger and how everything was going to work out. This was Junho, his best friend. He would figure it out in time. 

It was Jungmo who eventually decided that this was the end of exploding snap for today when he was almost hit by a card that suddenly blew out sparks and flew right at him. It took a few strict glares and some grumbling until the rest of the fifth years packed everything away and decided to head to dinner. Yohan was close to protesting himself for being forced off Junho’s lap. He had been chatting with the younger about this and that, recounting the day and playing with the fingers of Junho’s free hand when his stomach grumbled loudly enough for Yohan to blush. 

That was his sign that indeed, they should head off. Dinner went by quickly with their group of different houses deciding to just sit at the Gryffindor table with everyone talking over everyone again. Yohan was almost fully focussed on his food, his hunger kicking in now after sleep and practice. But he perked up when Eunsang spoke. 

“You up for another round of snap after dinner, Jun?” 

It was the usual question, the unusual thing was Junho’s reaction. 

“Can’t,” he replied with his mouth stuffed like a chipmunk. As if on cue, Wooseok, who was sitting beside Jinhyuk and chatting with the older Gryffindor, looked over and sent him a withering look. 

“Chew your food,” he said and Junho quickly closed his mouth and followed the order. Next to Eunsang, Minhee and Jungmo looked at each other and burst into laughter. 

“We have too many parents,” Minhee pressed out between wheezes. “I see a pattern.” 

Jungmo nodded, face bright red and his food forgotten for now. The rest of the group exchanged confused glances but decided to not ask any further. Minhee was probably rubbing off on Jungmo. Eunsang looked back at Junho who was done swallowing his food. 

“I have to do ancient runes,” he said with a sigh. Yohan looked at the younger. 

“Did you procrastinate on it?” he asked but Junho shook his head. 

“Worse,” he said. “Partnerwork. And my lovely partner has managed to get into detention so many times that we couldn’t really meet up to work on it, but we have to hand it in on Friday. So I gotta try to get it done somehow.” 

Yohan winced. That was definitely one of the things he couldn’t stand about partner work - or group work in general. Someone was usually the one who ended up being responsible for most things, and Junho really got the worst arrangement here. Plus, complaining to the teachers usually didn’t help - and it never made anything better with the partner. And Junho hated confrontations with a passion. His partner probably knew that too and so they could pull this kind of stunt. 

“Maybe I could help?” Yohan offered but even to his own ears that sounded unsure. Junho shot him an amused glance. 

“You’re shit at ancient runes,” he reminded Yohan with a grin, “that’s why you dropped back in third year, remember?”

“Yeah,” Yohan admitted sheepishly. “True. Forgot about that.” 

Junho chuckled as he mashed his potatoes into his stew. 

“Remember when you held the scripture upside down and tried to translate something you thought was ancient chinese?” 

Jungmo guffawed. 

“I remember that!” he piped up. “It was actually a japanese temple incantation, but Yohan managed to make up a whole new spell!” 

The Gryffindor threw up his hands in mock frustration. 

“How was I supposed to know?” he asked whiningly. Jungmo smirked. 

“Maybe by the note in the corner of the sheet,” he quipped back and that is where Eunsang’s self-control croke and the boy almost face planted into his plate by how hard he was laughing. Chaewon was hitting her palms on the table and Dongpyo beside them was laughing loudly. Junho looked at Yohan who was leaning his head into his hands. 

“Don’t worry, Hannie,” he said soothingly as the others quieted down slowly. “This doesn’t change anything in how we see you.” 

Yohan glanced at him from the corner of his eye to see Junho smile angelically. 

“We knew you were a dumbass before.” 

“Junho!” 

Yohan was practically about to jump up for that quip, but a spoon clattering onto the table in front of him had him flinch in surprise instead, automatically grabbing Junho’s arm. Wooseok was glaring at them again. 

“You are loud,” he said dryly. “Go be loud in the common room if you’re not eating anymore.” 

“But hyung!” Junho whined with puppy eyes on display while the rest of them were practically holding their breath, including Jinhyuk beside the small headboy. It took a few seconds before Wooseok relented. His expression became less stern, a softness adding to his gaze and he sighed. 

“Just quiet down a bit,” he said and turned back to a snickering Jinhyuk who tried to hide his laugh behind his glass of pumpkin juice. Wooseok poked him in the side for laughing - which promptly cause the lanky Gryffindor to choke on his juice, coughing and spluttering while Wooseok flinched and then started fretting over his boyfriend. Yohan turned to look at Junho. 

“If I didn’t know better, I’d think you have blackmail material on Wooseok,” he commented and Junho shrugged. 

“Who says I don’t?” he replied and Eunsang made a sound of agreement. 

“Spoiler: he does,” he said. “But he is literally the only person who can pull shit like this with Wooseok and walk out of it unharmed and successful.” 

“The power I hold,” Junho said dreamily. “But actually, should we head back?” 

He glanced over their plates and true - everyone was done. Nods of agreement were followed by them climbing off their benches and heading back upstairs, save for Jungmo and Minhee who went to the Slytherin common room, the older promising Yohan to go over the material in question tomorrow with Yohan. 

Back in the common room, Junho pulled out his ancient runes project with a sigh and started working on it. Yohan too started on what homework he had to hand in next and soon they were working in silence side by side. Yohan managed to finish his work for two more subjects before he decided that at least for now his concentration was gone. He glanced over at Junho who was chewing on the end of his pen in concentration, a habit Yohan was trying to break. Gently, he reached around the younger, hooking his chin over his shoulder and moving the hand with the pen from his mouth. 

Junho sighed and leaned his head against Yohan’s with a sigh. 

“I hate this,” he said but Yohan hummed in disagreement. 

“You like runes,” he protested. “You were thinking about doing that extra credit course that the hyungs do too-” 

He broke off in the middle of his sentence, an idea popping up in his brain. But Junho was already shaking his head, as if he had known what Yohan was thinking before he did. 

“I’m not asking them for help,” he said. Yohan frowned and unhooked his chin to lean forward and look at Junho’s face. 

“I don’t want to bother them with it,” Junho said. “I need to be able to do this much if I want to take that course and they have enough on their plates with N.E.W.T.s and I don’t want to interrupt them…” 

Junho trailed off and Yohan’s frown deepened. He understood where the younger was coming from, but still. 

“You know they wouldn’t mind,” he said slowly. “And you’re not asking them to do your work, just give you a little help.”

“But I need to be able to do this on my own,” Junho protested and the frustration in his voice became clear. “I have two more days before I have to hand it in, I need to be able to do this much at least.” 

Yohan wasn’t convinced but Junho was stubborn. And there was no use discussing with Junho in his stubborn mode, nor would he help by just asking one of the hyungs for help. He would have to either try again or wait for Junho to ask them by himself. He sighed and pulled the younger into a quick hug. 

“Just remember they would help you if you asked,” he said gently before letting go and turning back to his homework. He had some reading left for Charms so he decided to do that for now. It was the least taxing of his tasks. 

When he opened his textbook a thought struck him and he tried to inconspicuously glance at Junho’s project paper. Right there in the corner, both his name and the name of his project partner were written. Perfect. 

Yohan spent an embarrassing 15 minutes in the bathroom trying to perfect his most threatening face - which wouldn’t have been too bad if there hadn’t been about ten people coming in while he was practising. He got some weird looks, one first year turned around and left again and Byungchan tried to coach him for about five minutes. Eventually, he decided he was threatening enough.

His plan was put into action the next morning at breakfast. A quick scan of the tables assured him that his target was there for breakfast and he headed over to the Ravenclaw table for a quick talk. Coincidence (or fate) wanted it that Junho was sitting perfectly - his partner at the Hufflepuff table was facing him. Yohan sidled up next to Junho who smiled at him and patted the empty space on the bench. The Gryffindor decided to take the offer and sat down, greeting the rest of the boys around them. 

As if on cue, the boy at the Hufflepuff table looked up and Yohan furrowed his eyebrows, glaring at the other. The other boy, surprised by suddenly facing him and being glared at flinched slightly before he frowned and looked back down. He looked up again after a few seconds only to find Yohan still glaring at him which had him look back down again. 

“You look constipated,” it sounded from the opposite of Yohan and a hand was waved in his face. Eunsang looked somewhere between worry and laughter. Yohan blinked a few times before he shook his head. 

“I’m fine,” he said. “Just thinking.” 

“Well don’t pull something,” came the new voice of Sihoon as he sat down next to Eunsang and looked at Yohan. The Gryffindor promptly pouted. 

“Why is everyone picking on me lately?” he whined and felt Junho pat his back but he just turned to pout more intensely at the younger. 

“And you are the worst of them,” he complained but Junho continued eating without a care. 

“And still you love me,” was all he had to say. Well, Yohan couldn’t deny that. He shrugged and hummed before he focussed back on his breakfast. Occasionally he would look up to glare at the Hufflepuff boy again, only half-listening to the chatter around him until Sihoon’s voice sounded again. 

“...don’t want to be late we should head off like five minutes ago, Kim Yohan are you even listening?”

Yohan sat up straight. 

“Yes!” he replied. “Definitely!”

He saw the rest of the group look at him expectantly but he was out of the loop this time. Pleadingly he looked at Junho who sighed. 

“Class,” he said. “You. Now. Go.” 

Finally the penny dropped and he jumped up, promptly banging his knees against the table and stumbling over the bench. He grabbed his school bag and nodded at Sihoon to signal he was ready - Sihoon rolled his eyes at him good-naturedly and headed down the row between the tables on his side, Yohan following on the other. They headed off into the castle, joining the stream of students heading to first period. Yohan remembered that Junho had astronomy in the charmed room adjacent to the entrance hall - he still had a few minutes, unlike Yohan and Sihoon who were heading to a far-off classroom for arithmancy. Merlin knows why Professor Park Woojin had chosen that particular location. 

And so his day started. 

It went pretty well, all things considered. He managed to pay attention in his classes and get through them more or less successfully, while effectively glaring at Junho’s partner when he saw him in the corridor. Fate really seemed to be on his side. He saw the Hufflepuff several times, including a few minutes that their respective classes were waiting in the same corridor for the teacher to open the classroom and he spent this time constantly glaring at the other boy. 

When it was time for lunch he felt like he had done well today. In a good mood he headed towards the Great Hall with Byungchan, sitting down at his house table cheerily and dug into his food while talking to his friend. When he eventually glanced at the Ravenclaw table habitually, eyes zeroing in on a certain boy he frowned. 

“I’ll be back,” he said to Byungchan who just nodded and pulled parchment and a quill from his pocket. With a sigh, Yohan got up and went around the Gryffindor table and past the Hufflepuff one to Junho at his house table. The younger was bent over the table, pen in hand and his book and runes in front of him. Eunsang and Wonjin opposite of him, silent but disapproving. Yohan grabbed an empty plate and placed some food on it before he sat down next to Junho, setting the plate down. 

“Jun,” he tried gently and Junho glanced up shortly before he focussed back on his work. 

“I’m not hungry,” he said absently but Yohan sighed.

“Jun,” he said again, more insistently this time. The younger looked up at him. 

“You got class all afternoon and no breaks. You have to eat something.”

Junho rolled his eyes and was about to turn back to his work, but Yohan placed a hand on his arm. 

“Jun,” he said one more time and the third time was the charm. Junho placed his pen down with a deep sigh and rubbed his hands over his face. 

“Fine,” he said sullenly and pushed his notes away to make space for the plate. Yohan shared a small nod with Eunsang, who looked relieved. Funny, Yohan pondered, how most people would only acknowledge the seriousness of a situation if addressed with their full name, when for Junho Yohan would call him Jun when he was being serious. 

Junho started eating, face still in a frown but he soon started gobbling his food down with the hunger registering. Yohan looked at him for a few moments before he spoke again.

“By the way, do you know where my school cardigan is by any chance?” 

He had noticed he wasn’t wearing it this morning when it had been a bit cold in class even though he had been sure he took it to breakfast. Junho glanced at him, eyes wide and innocent. 

“Yes,” he replied and pointed at himself with his fork before he continued eating. Yohan leaned closer to expect the younger and true - there was the gryffindor emblem on the cardigan Junho was wearing. Yohan chuckled. 

“Why are you wearing it?” he asked, baffled. 

“You left it here this morning,” Junho explained between bites, “and you were already gone when I noticed. Plus, it smelled like you and it’s warm.” 

Yohan nodded at the explanation, inspecting the fruit bowl on the table and choosing an apple. Opposite of him, Eunsang and Wonjin were looking at them with wide eyes, confusingly enough. Yohan was just choosing an apple after all. 

“Are we still up for the library after class today?” Junho asked and placed his cutlery down. Yohan nodded. 

“I’m definitely going,” he replied. “Don’t rush though, I’ll wait for you.” 

Junho hummed and nodded before glancing at his watch. 

“That’s our call, actually,” he directed at the other two and stood up from his seat. Wonjin groaned but followed along with Eunsang. Junho stuffed his runes project into his bag and laid a hand on Yohan’s shoulder who got up as well to head back to his own table. 

Only when he sat back down opposite Byungchan did something register in his brain. 

Junho was wearing his cardigan. Not necessarily unusual, but he had said he was wearing it because it was warm. And because it smelled like him. He buried his face in his hands with a squeal, making the second years beside him flinch in surprise. Byungchan threw his rubber at him. 

.oO°Oo.

“When you said you had to tell me something I thought you needed to confess a crime or something,” Seungwoo said with a chuckle. Yohan grinned in response. 

“That explains why you were so serious when I asked you if you have time,” he said teasingly and Seungwoo rolled his eyes. 

“I’m used to you coming and already whining after all,” Seungwoo returned the favour and Yohan groaned. 

“Seriously, why is everyone picking on me lately? First Sihoon today, now you, and Junho is doing it constantly too! My own best friend!”

Seungwoo snorted. 

“And still you love him,” he commented and Yohan nodded, despite the heat crawling up his cheeks and neck. Junho had said the exact same thing, he noted. And he felt inclined to fully agree. 

“I do,” he whispered and Seungwoo sat up straighter opposite of him. 

“I have a feeling you don’t mean in a platonic sense,” the older commented and Yohan knew it wasn’t a real question. 

“I guess Sihoon got into my head, in a way,” he confessed and trailed the tip of his finger over the rim of his glass of pumpkin juice. Seungwoo hummed and leaned forward, forearms placed on the table. 

“What you told me,” he started slowly. “It seems so unlike Sihoon.” 

Yohan looked up at Seungwoo. 

“What do you mean?” he asked. “Do you think he wasn't honest?”

Seungwoo pursed his lips but shook his head after a moment. 

“I think he was honest,” he said. “Sihoon has no reason to lie about that, and also why should he? You noticed he likes Junho in one way or another, so that’s not it.”

The older looked up at the ceiling. 

“I guess I’m just surprised,” he continued. “Sihoon is usually so shy, and gentle. But I guess he really needed to get that out, and by telling you about it…”

Yohan nodded. 

“It was like a defense mechanism,” he said. “He seemed almost scared of me in the end, and I think..” 

The image of Sihoon wiping his eyes as the portrait closed behind Yohan returned to his mind. 

“I think he played the part of being strong and a bit nonchalant about it to not show too much emotion?” 

Seungwoo tilted his head in thought, eyes moving from the ceiling back down to Yohan. 

“Maybe,” he said. “Or maybe he just tried to get himself into a different mindset about everything? To make it easier to get over it?” 

That was possible too. Yohan nodded, resting his chin on his folded hands. Seungwoo studied him for a moment. 

“So,” the older started, “why are you telling me?” 

Yohan looked up and Seungwoo quickly continued. 

“Don’t get me wrong, you can always come to me. But it just seems like you got this figured out already? The situation seems pretty clear?”

Yohan nodded, then paused and shook his head instead. 

“Yes and no,” he said. “I get what Sihoon was telling me. But I just can’t wrap my head around why he did it?” 

Seungwoo furrowed his brow. 

“Because he doesn’t want any conflict to arise from this?” he asked and Yohan pursed his lips. 

“He could have asked for that without telling me all that though,” he countered and Seungwoo nodded contemplatively. “He could’ve avoided the whole emotion talk and just told me that I don’t need to worry about Junho as his friend or something. I’m pretty sure I might have even accepted that as an explanation.

The older took a moment before he replied.

“He is right about Junho being oblivious to his affections,” he said and Yohan tilted his head. Seungwoo nodded as if to prove his own point. 

“He is,” he repeated. “A while ago he was telling me how happy he was to have a friend like Sihoon, that it was nice being friends with more people from his house and that he enjoyed spending time with Eunsang and Sihoon so much.”

Yohan raised a brow. He didn’t see the point yet. Seungwoo grinned sheepishly. 

“Don’t take this the wrong way,” he continued and Yohan raised his brow higher, “but I told him with a certain intonation that Sihoon really liked being his friend.” 

Seungwoo put an emphasis on the last part that made Yohan practically see the wiggling eyebrows Seungyoun would be sporting right now. He waited expectantly. 

“It flew right over his head,” Seungwoo concluded. “He didn’t even notice the ‘hint’. He just kept talking about Eunsang and Sihoon for a bit more before he had to go to class.” 

Yohan wasn’t really surprised if he was being honest. Junho was by no means daft but if he didn’t notice certain things, neither would he notice the hints people would give him directed at these things. It was pretty much enough proof that he actually didn’t notice Sihoon’s advances. If you could even call them that. 

“His approach was unorthodox,” Seungwoo came back to Sihoon’s confession. “Unusual, but still. Effective in one way or another.” 

Yohan was lost once more. He started feeling like he was out of the loop most of the time lately, but maybe that was just him. Seungwoo continued speaking to his luck. 

“If I think about it from his perspective, he wasn’t just trying to get it out to get over it. He was actually trying to close that door for himself.”

“What door?” Yohan asked, perplexed. Seungwoo chuckled.

“Metaphor, Yohannie,” he said and the younger nodded. “He was actively preventing himself from getting the chance of ‘winning Junho over’ I think.” 

“In what way?” Yohan asked. Sure, Sihoon had said as much but he had a feeling Seungwoo meant more by that. 

“Yohan,” Seungwoo said soberly, “you are jealous. By nature I mean. Possessive? Definitely. Maybe even territorial at times.”

The older chuckled at his own words. 

“Sihoon told you he likes Junho, your best friend, and we both know he’s more than just that. So does Sihoon. And he knows you are jealous because you are not subtle with your actions.”

Yohan blushed at that. 

“What actions exactly?” he asked hesitantly and Seungwoo studied him for a second as if trying to figure out if he was genuinely asking or not. 

“Well, prime example: you have a habit of draping yourself over Junho if he’s free and in your general vicinity. Either hugging him, arms around his waist, leaned on him. Things like that. You don’t like letting him go - you’re not preventing him from going, which is good. But you always get whiny.”

Yohan had never thought about it like this. 

“Junho is used to it, and I don’t think he’s uncomfortable in any way,” Seungwoo elaborated. “I don’t think he notices either. But you tend to get closer to him when someone is getting physically close to Junho. No stopping, no distracting him, but you scoot over suddenly.” 

Yohan felt himself blush. In a way, he felt called out. But at the same time he found himself unable to protest because he knew that Seungwoo was absolutely spot-on. 

“Back to Sihoon,” Seungwoo changed paths and Yohan almost sighed in relief. 

“By telling you all that, he could subconsciously fuel that possessiveness and assured you that you are very likely to find the same emotions - save for that jealous streak maybe - in Junho. He was practically telling you to get yourself together and tell Junho, because then he wouldn’t stand a chance anyway.” 

Yohan mulled these words over. He had to admit, it made sense. And the longer he thought about Sihoon’s words the more inclined he hoped for them to be true, for the other to be right. 

“He told me to confess,” he summed it up and Seungwoo hummed, lifting his glass of pumpkin juice to his lips. 

“Maybe I should,” Yohan pondered and the older promptly choked on his juice. After coughing a few times he looked up at Yohan, befuddled. 

“That was quick,” he commented. “I thought you’d panic - again - at the mere thought of it.”

Yohan shrugged and looked down at the table, his finger once again tracing over the rim of the glass. Seungwoo studied him for a moment. 

“Sihoon really got to you with that,” he said. “He gave you the final push, maybe.” 

Yohan placed his elbow on the table and leaned his head onto his hand. 

“I just thought,” he tried to explain, “that maybe it’s all easier than I think. No matter the outcome, actually. Junho is my best friend. That’s what comes first, and I know he loves me, one way or the other. Even if I confessed, he wouldn’t turn away from me. We’d figure it out.”

He smiled.

“And maybe the chances are not too bad for him to return my feelings. If even a bit.”

“You want him to know,” Seungwoo said. Yohan pursed his lips and nodded. 

“I feel like he deserves to know, at least. I guess I’m a bit tired of keeping it to myself?” 

Seungwoo nodded with a dreamy smile. 

“I know that feeling,” he said. Yohan perked up and leaned forward curiously. 

“You know,” he said with newfound interest, “you never told me how you confessed to Seungsik.” 

Now it was Seungwoo’s turn to blush. And he did, in a deep red. Yohan giggled at the sight. Seungwoo looked smitten at the mere thought of Seungsik. 

“Do you want to know?” he asked and Yohan nodded eagerly. Seungwoo sighed and looked at the table. 

“It’s pretty cheesy, actually,” he started and the younger snorted. 

“No surprises there,” he teased and Seungwoo whined. 

“I fell for Seungsik pretty quickly,” he started. “I didn’t realise initially, but I think it started early on into our friendship. I decided to go for it eventually.” 

“In fifth year, right?” Yohan asked and earned a nod. 

“Towards the end of the year. I felt like he liked me too, and if not, we would have the summer break to figure everything else out. Might have been a bad idea, looking back at it now.”

“Why?”

“Letting unresolved emotions of rejection stew over summer break? Sounds like a recipe for chaos.” 

That was a good objection. 

“Luckily, that didn’t even come up. I had everything planned out that night.” 

Yohan raised an eyebrow. 

“Night?” he asked in a slightly suggestive tone and Seungwoo slapped his arm despite the pink on his cheeks.

“Night,” he said, “because I prepared something Seungsik liked.” 

The penny dropped. 

“Stars,” Yohan deduced. “You did something with stars.”

Seungwoo shot him a deadpan expression. 

“Are you going to interrupt me after everything I say?” he asked and the younger giggled while miming his mouth being zipped shut. Seungwoo nodded. 

“Okay. I sent him a message with Osiris to meet me at the owlery at 11PM. We went there a lot,  to feed the owls and just to talk at the weirdest times , so it didn’t seem out of the ordinary. When he got there though he didn’t find me but I had Aristotle waiting for him with a message to follow him. He led him out onto the school grounds to the back of the greenhouses. I had placed a certain plant there that opened and bloomed when its leaves were touched.” 

Yohan raised his hand as if he was in class until the older nodded. 

“Two questions,” he announced. Seungwoo nooded. 

“First, why the greenhouses?” 

He hadn’t thought it possible but Seungwoo’s eyes seemed to become even softer. 

“They are kind of our spot, I guess?” he replied. “I always spent a lot of time there, and then Sik joined me. We shared a lot there, me working on plants and him reading or talking and it was - like our bubble away from the world? Nothing else would ever get there.”

It sounded so much like them, Yohan had to agree. 

“Seungsik helped me sometimes, so he knew his way around there well enough at some point,” the older continued, “and it was pretty hard to keep this flower a secret and not have him see it. I almost failed a few times.” 

“And what did the blossom look like?” Yohan asked curiously. 

“It’s a so-called galaxy flower. I hybridized a touch-sensitive flower with Night sky petunias. They opened when touched and they turned out perfectly. Deep blue and violet with white spots that looked like constellations. I knew Seungsik would love how they looked. He asked me what they stood for later that night.” 

Yohan perked up. 

“What did you say?” he inquired. Seungwoo turned bright red. 

“Their positive meaning is ‘being with you is soothing’,” he said in a whisper. “Purple for enchantment, fantasy, charm and mystery. Blue for Deep Trust, Peacefulness.” 

Seungwoo looked close to combusting so Yohan decided to leave the teasing for later. He hummed and  gestured for the older to continue. Seungwoo sighed. 

“Promise not to laugh at the next part,” he asked and waited until the Gryffindor had nodded. 

“I asked Professor Chungha for help.”

That was unexpected. 

“She was one of the few teachers who were likely to allow my plan - and that I didn’t have for N.E.W.T.s. So I could avoid her a bit afterwards. It was awkward explaining everything to her, but she agreed on two conditions: Seungsik shouldn’t wander the grounds after curfew on his own and she wanted to play some part in it. So she followed him in her cat form and later collected him to take him back to the castle. ” 

Yohan tilted his head and was just about to ask when Seungwoo held up a hand. 

“Yes, I know. We know her cat form, so Seungsik might be confused, embarrassed, you name it. Fun fact though: I honestly don’t know how, but up until sixth year Seungsik had somehow managed to completely miss Professor Chungha whenever she was in her cat form. He didn’t know what she looked like, so he didn’t suspect anything when she came to pick him up.”

Yohan was laughing under his breath. For all his smart mind, Seungsik was surprisingly dense at times. Seungwoo seemed amused as well. 

“Can you imagine how awkward it was when I had to explain that to him?” he asked, laughing. “He has Transfiguration N.E.W.T.s.” 

Yohan almost broke down in laughter at that. No wonder Seungsik had looked highly uncomfortable for a while in sixth year whenever someone mentioned Transfiguration. He took deep breaths to calm himself. 

“And then?” he asked and Seungwoo let out a breath. 

“Sylvia was waiting in the entrance for him.” 

“Wait,” Yohan intercepted, waving his hand around. “Was Sylvia that big black owl?” 

“Nope, that’s Aristotle. The one that scared Dongpyo. Sylvia is the old barn owl, the gentle one.” 

“Right, continue please.”

“Sylvia led him through the castle up to the astronomy tower. I was waiting on top. I had blankets prepared and some candles - they constantly went out because of the wind and I had wax stains everywhere - and my heart was beating like mad. I was so nervous while I was waiting, but then Seungsik opened the door and I felt completely calm.”

Seungwoo’s expression became impossibly soft, and if he wasn’t telling a story Yohan would feel as if he was intruding. 

“I told him I got permission to watch the stars that night, and he asked if I had prepared that whole way over the grounds and I said yes. And all he replied was ‘That’s so you’ but I knew he had understood.” 

Yohan rolled his eyes fondly. 

“Hyung,” he said, “that was the most romantic thing I could imagine you doing. Seriously. Plus, Seungsik knew you well enough that you could probably have just looked him a certain way and he would have known.” 

Seungwoo buried his face in his hands and Yohan chortled. 

“So you watched the stars afterwards?” he asked curiously and Seungwoo nodded, snorting at Yohan’s expression. 

“We did,” he confirmed. “And you can put that face away, we didn’t kiss until after O.W.L.s.” 

Yohan tutted and leaned back. 

“Wow,” he said. “That’s an impressive way to confess in all honesty.” 

“Are you looking for inspiration?” Seungwoo asked and leaned forward with a cheeky grin. “For when your time comes?”

Yohan felt himself blush but he tried to stay nonchalant and glanced at his watch.

“No comment,” he said. “I gotta go though. I’m picking Junho up from class.”

He got up from the table and grabbed his bag, smiling at Seungwoo who leaned back. 

“Have fun then,” he said. “And Yohan? Don’t be scared.”

The younger nodded before he headed for the exit. 

He had originally planned on waiting in the library, but after he had chatted with Seungwoo for almost the entire duration of that last period that was free for him, he decided to go and pick his friend up. 

When he reached the classroom and had just leaned against the opposite wall, the bell rang and the door opened. Students streamed out, some shooting him curious glances before heading off or stopping in the hallway for a few moments to chat and make plans. Yohan scanned the faces until he saw Junho exiting the classroom, engaged in discussion with his project partner for ancient runes. He didn’t look too happy, and neither did his partner. They both looked up and noticed Yohan standing in the corridor. A bit belatedly, Yohan remembered his plan and frowned at the Hufflepuff beside Junho who just rolled his eyes. 

“I’ll see what I can do,” he told Junho who seemed exasperated. “And please, tell your boyfriend to stop glaring at me.”

Then he took off. Junho looked after him for a second before he turned to Yohan who raised his hand. 

“Yoho,” he started their greeting but Junho frowned and grabbed his wrist instead, starting to pull him in the direction of the library. 

“You and I need to have a talk,” he grumbled out and Yohan swallowed. Seemed like he was in trouble. 

Junho didn’t say anything all the way to the library but he didn’t let go of Yohan’s wrist either, as if he was scared that the older was trying to flee from whatever wrath he was about to instill on him. Upon reaching the library Junho headed straight for their remote corner where he let go and placed his bag down, pulling out his papers. 

Yohan observed him and sat down gingerly. Eventually Junho dropped onto his chair with a sigh. 

“You need to stop glaring at people,” he said exasperatedly. He sounded annoyed but his gaze softened as he looked at Yohan. 

“I know you want to help and mean well, but for once please don’t.” 

Yohan glanced at the table with hot ears. 

“Jinseop was in a horrible mood today, and it really wasn’t easy talking to him. You saw him. So please, just don’t do it.” 

Yohan looked up, protest bubbling up inside him. 

"But I was...!" 

"I know" 

"And how about-" 

"Stop it, Hannie." 

Junho was immovable. Yohan pouted at his friend, despite knowing that he was right. 

"But I want to help," he argued weakly. It was a last effort, he was already being swayed by Junho calling him by that nickname again. The younger sighed and smiled, his eyes as warm as usually. 

"I know,” he admitted. “And you do - by listening to me and comforting me, not threatening my classmates." 

They stared at each other for a few moments until Yohan gave in. 

“Okay,” he said eventually. “I’m sorry.”

Junho got up from his chair opposite of him and went around the table, placing a hand on Yohan’s hair. 

“It’s fine,” he said. “I know you mean well. And also-”

"It was oddly effective," Yohan finished his sentence and Junho giggled. 

“He really was scared of you at this point. That’s why he said what he did back in the hallway,” he explained and Yohan grinned. 

“You are the only thing that can stop me,” he said boisterously.

“True,” Junho agreed. “Now excuse me for a sec, I need a book.” 

He leaned down and pressed a short peck on Yohan’s forehead before he let go and headed down the rows of books to find the one he needed. 

Yohan looked after him, slightly stunned by the kiss. It had been unexpected, though not unprecedented. A smile crept onto his features and he lightly touched the spot Junho had kissed. With a chuckle he turned to his homework. Another realisation came to him. Neither Junho nor him had bothered to correct Jinseop back in the hallway. 

His smile widened. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chaos took as sweet turn we thought. And we noticed that many of you apparently missed Yohan and Junho, so this was also a bit self-indulgent. Did you like it? How do you think it will proceed? We already have the next few chapters planned and are working on them so stay tuned for them! 
> 
> And again, if you have tag suggestions then let us know!! 
> 
> See you guys next week <3


	29. For now I am Winter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, we're back - a tad late but time is an illusion and stuff! We went somewhere else with this chapter and we actually had this in planning for a very long time. Now the question is how it turned out.  
Have fun reading

The patronus appeared in front of them suddenly and without a warning. A small cloud of fluttering silver butterflies that seemed to glow and reflect the golden shine of the last of the fire in the Common Room. Jinhyuk broke off in the middle of his sentence, stance tense and Wooseok felt himself flinch in surprise, his hand reaching for the pocket of his robes by instinct, the other placed on Jinhyuk’s chest as if to push him back if need be. 

“Kim Wooseok, Han Seungwoo, Cho Seungyoun, please come to the infirmary as quickly as possible, your assistance is needed,” Professor Sejeong’s voice echoed through the empty common room. Then the patronus dissolved into a silvery whisp before disappearing completely. Wooseok stayed completely still for a second until the realisation started to set in. He turned to Jinhyuk. 

“I need to go,” he said, eyes wide and voice surprisingly level as he quickly rose from the sofa, making sure that his wand was indeed in his pocket. Jinhyuk got up behind him. 

“What is this about?” the older asked and Wooseok shook his head. His head was empty, and he couldn’t for the life of himself imagine what this was about. Or why he, Seungwoo and of all people Seungyoun - who wasn’t even a prefect - were being summoned. 

“I don’t know,” he replied. “I- I never got anything like this before. I just-” 

“I hope nothing happened,” Jinhyuk voiced out his thoughts. Wooseok nodded and hurried towards the door, not caring if Jinhyuk followed him or not. This seemed too urgent to discuss anything else for now. He opened the door and hurtled down the stairs, fast and uncaring. His breath sounded loud in his ears and he power-walked down the corridor, his heart picking up in pace and pounding against his ribcage. For a second he thought he heard a second pair of steps - was Jinhyuk following him? But it didn’t matter right now.

This had never happened before. Patronus messages were a sign of utmost urgency because they took next to no time to travel and couldn’t be stopped by anything. His steps turned faster and he broke out into a run, skidding around a corner and hurrying up the stairs to the floor of the infirmary. 

Voices became audible the closer he got - loud voices, agitated. He turned the last corner and skidded to a stop, breath fast and his heartbeat thundering in his chest. 

In front of the infirmary door was a group of people, their expressions ranging from anxiousness to sheer panic. Professors Jisung and Nayoung for Care of Magical Creatures were speaking to each other in rapid tempo, while Nurse Kim was adding comments in between, her face mask of stone and only her eyes betraying her emotions as they flitted towards the door of the infirmary. A muffled crashing sounded from inside, along with something that sounded like a howl. Professor Sejeong had her hand placed on the door, her mouth moving and her eyes closed. He couldn’t make out if she was chanting. 

“Wooseok!”

The call of his name had him spring into action and he hurried towards the voice before he even looked at the scene. When he did, he almost stopped dead in his tracks again but he quickly ignored that instinct and pressed on. 

On the opposite side of the hallway, as far from the door as possible, Professor Ong was holding on to Hangyul. His hand was grabbing the boy’s upper arm, his other hand placed on his shoulder as if to hold him back from running off towards the door it seemed. The boy was struggling, it seemed. Not too hard, but enough to make the astronomy teacher hold onto him, worry painted on his features. 

“You need to let me go in there,” the boy was pleading, his voice hoarse and pained. “I know how to- I can’t leave him!”

Hangyul was the picture of distress. His eyes were wide in a pale face, features twisted into a grimace of agitation. Before he could even figure out what was going on he had reached the boy, automatically grabbing his arm. 

“Hangyul, you need to stay calm,” Professor Ong pleaded and sent a quick look to Wooseok before looking behind him. 

“Keep him back and try to calm him down a bit,” he ordered and suddenly Seungyoun appeared beside Wooseok, immediately lacing an arm around Hangyul’s waist from the back and another around his shoulders, pinning him against his front. 

“Gyul,” he said. His voice seemed stable, but there was a pleading note to it. White streaked into his hair. Wooseok felt a shiver go through his body, his mind racing. What the hell was going on here? Hangyul struggled against Seungyoun’s grip, still pleading with his voice seemingly becoming rougher and more broken. 

Professor Ong stepped a few feet back and lifted his wand, pointing it at his temple for a second while mumbling. When he stopped and pulled it back, a small silvery cloud was laced around the tip of his wand. He turned towards the empty corridor and swung his wand down it, the words ‘expecto patronum’ barely reaching Wooseok’s ears. Silver exploded from the tip of the wand and after a second a peregrine falcon formed. The silver mist from the tip of the wand had disappeared. The bird circled the hallway for a second before it disappeared. 

Professor Ong turned around. 

“I contacted the headmaster and Chungha on the situation,” he called at the rest before he stepped closer to Sejeong. “Maybe my presence would help?”

“Or agitate him more-” Professor Sejeong had just replied when a dull thud sounded as if something heavy had been thrown against the door, a deep growl echoing through the hallway. The apprehension was palpable. 

Wooseok felt like ice had been dropped into his stomach and he saw how Professor Ong quickly took several steps back when Professor Sejeong waved her hand at him. Professors Jisung and Nayoung had quickly joined her, wands out and spells were being mumbled. Nurse Kim was still standing aside, but her face had changed into one of deep concern and urgency. Wooseok turned back to Seungyoun and Hangyul and the ice in his stomach started to spread. 

Both boys were deathly pale. Hangyul seemed to have stopped his struggle, his arms hanging down limply in Seungyoun’s grip. 

Beside them, movement caught Wooseok’s eyes and he almost flinched. He hadn’t even noticed Professor Yoojung and Hyeongjun beside them, the small boy with his eyes wide open and fearful while the Professor looked incredibly worried. At the growl she had apparently pulled Hyeongjun closer, her hands clasped over his ears. A shadow fell over them and Seungwoo reached them, a robe thrown over his pyjamas and hair disheveled, eyes wild. He took in the sight and quickly joined his house teacher with a nod as the small woman stepped back. Seungwoo immediately placed his hands over Hyeongjun’s ears himself. 

“Get them out of here,” Professor Yoojung ordered, her voice hard and icy. “Get them far enough away and wait for us in my office.”

Professor Ong was suddenly by their side again. 

“I’ll take them,” he said in an urgent tone. “Go.” 

Wooseok wasn’t sure what was going on. Since the growl and the sound against the door etension had risen - the quiet kind. Like the eye of a storm - or the calm before it. Seungwoo immediately stepped forward, hands still over Hyeongjun’s ears as he led the boy down the corridor. Seungyoun exchanged glances with Wooseok and the headboy grabbed Hangyul’s arm strong enough so he couldn’t just shake him off while Seungyoun released his grip. They pulled the younger Slytherin down the corridor with hardly any protest. Seungyoun had his arm around Hangyul’s shoulders, his steps hurrying. Hangyul stumbled along. 

Professor Ong stayed behind them. Wooseok had half a mind to ask, when the tension reached its breaking point. 

Another crash sounded from inside the infirmary and this time it was followed by a howl. It was no human sound, Wooseok was sure, but there was something so human about it. For a second he couldn’t make it out but then it hit him. Pain. Something in there was in pain. 

Hangyul stopped as if he had hit a wall. 

“He’s hurting himself,” he whispered. “He’s-”

Seungyoun exchanged a short look with Wooseok and they both nodded before they took off, faster than before, and not letting go, dragging Hangyul along. The boy was shaking, the muscles in his arm tense and strained. Wooseok had expected him to struggle but it seemed his body wasn’t catching up with his mind and his panic. They turned a corner, and the sound started to get quieter, fading, almost like echoes in the wind. Professor Yoojung’s office was in the corridor just at the foot of the stairs they were pulling Hangyul down. Seungwoo in front of them had let go of Hyeongjun’s ears and had an arm around the boy's shoulders, leading him down the corridor. 

Professor Ong opened the door as they reached it, a short movement of his wand lighting the candles in the room and starting the fire. They hurried inside and the head of Slytherin scanned over them as if making sure that all of them were here before he turned to hurry back. Seungyoun glanced at the man over his shoulder. 

“Lock it,” was all he said. Professor Ong did not reply, but Wooseok heard the lock slide into place after he closed the door. 

The sound had Hangyul snap back into reality and he ripped his arm out of Wooseok’s grip, ready to run to the door. But Seungyoun had been prepared. He immediately grabbed Hangyul again, turning the boy around and pressing him against his front. 

Hangyul struggled in Seungyoun’s grip, his hands pulling at the older’s sleeves, trying to push him off. He was protesting, but Wooseok couldn’t make out the words. It was as if he was hearing everything through a cloud of cotton, as if it was far away. His head was spinning and felt hot but he couldn’t move. He just stood there. 

Hands carefully grabbed his upper arms and guided him to the sofa that Hyeongjun was curled up on, knees pulled up to his chest. He was shaking like a leaf. The hands pressed Wooseok down onto the sofa and he knew it was Seungwoo but he couldn’t tear his eyes away from Seungyoun and Hangyul. 

The younger's struggles were growing weaker, his pushes relented and after just a bit more his hands grabbed onto the back of Seungyoun’s robes, balled into fists and his knuckles white. His head fell against the older boy’s chest, his body shaking and shivering. Seungyoun was completely still, his eyes set on the wall as if he needed some kind of focus to keep everything together. But now that Hangyul was crumbling, so was his resolve. Wooseok watched how his gaze broke from the wall and he buried his face in Hangyul’s hair. 

Rustling sounded beside him as Seungwoo sat down. Wooseok looked up at his friend. The older had seemed so calm in this chaos but now he could see his eyes. They were filled with fear and set on Hangyul and Seungyoun. A weight fell against his side and he glanced over to see Hyeongjun leaned against his side. His eyes were staring off into space. 

“What happened?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper and glanced back at the older Hufflepuff. 

To his surprise it was Hangyul who replied. His hands let go of Seungyoun and he pulled away from his boyfriend’s embrace. His face was expressionless and his voice void of emotion. 

“He lost control,” he said. “They should have let me go in there. I know him, he would have - I could’ve helped him.” 

A tremor took hold of his voice towards the end. He rubbed his hands over his face and went over to them, dropping onto the second loveseat. His face remained completely neutral, scarily so, but Wooseok saw his hands shake. Seungyoun followed him and sat down, a careful distance between them as if he was giving Hangyul space. 

“I’ve seen him lose control before,” he continued, elbows leaned onto his knees and hunched over himself. “I’ve seen it, and I never got hurt. I could have helped-”

“I don’t think you could have this time, hyung,” Hyeongjun suddenly spoke up. His voice sounded thin and airy. Hangyul looked up at the boy but Hyeongjun wasn’t looking at him. 

“He realised something was wrong - seriously wrong - the moment it started,” the boy whispered out. “He said it hurt. It never hurt before.” 

Wooseok looked back at Hangyul. The neutral face was gone. The boy’s eyes were once again wide, his mouth slightly open and his eyebrows furrowed. A tear slid down his cheek. Wooseok felt his breath catch. He had never seen Hangyul cry before, not even once. And the only thing that he could imagine that could evoke this kind of reaction from the Slytherin were either Seungyoun or Dohyon. But Seungyoun was here. And Dohyon should be asleep in his bed. 

Wooseok felt his blood run cold. 

“He said it hurt,” Hyeongjun whispered. “That it was hurting and that I should stay back, and then he screamed and Nurse Kim came and took me outside and-” 

The small boy buried his face in his hands. 

“I should have stayed,” he whispered. “I should have stayed, I should have stayed!”

It was like a mantra. 

Seungyoun leaned back, his face hidden in his hands. Wooseok felt like he was having an out-of-body experience. Nothing made sense. But he didn’t dare ask, didn’t dare speak up. 

“It’s good she took you outside,” Seungwoo mumbled and three pairs of eyes were on the Hufflepuff. “If he was in pain, it means something went wrong with the potion. Something didn’t work and with potions it can be unpredictable. It’s possible he wouldn’t have had any control, no matter who was there.” 

None of them knew how to reply to this. It wasn’t like any of them knew what exactly had happened, Wooseok least of all. BUt there was also nothing they could do for now. He decided to stay quiet and not ask further. Better to have everyone calm down a bit at least. 

He leaned back, slowly and carefully, somehow afraid that too much sound would bring about more panic. THen he slid an arm around Hyeongjun and pulled the younger boy closer. For a moment, Hyeongjun didn’t move at all but then Wooseok felt a small hand grab his sweater and a head lean against his chest. He tightened the hug he had on the younger and brought up his other hand, running his fingers through the brown locks. 

Silence settled over the room as they waited, and no one spoke. No one seemed brave enough to speak. There was something hanging in the air, as if they were in a weird kind of limbo and any interruption would cause everything to collapse. Wooseok’s eyes settled on the ticking clock in the corner, zoning in and out of consciousness, occasionally checking on the others. 

Seungwoo leaned back into the sofa after a while too and Wooseok felt how he ever so subtly leaned against him. He knew Seungwoo craved contact whenever he was stressed, so he leaned into the older a bit to reassure him. 

Seungyoun and Hangyul stayed immobile initially. Hangyul was hunched in on himself, staring down on his hands, but his eyes were unseeing. Eventually, Seungyoun reached over and placed a gentle palm over the younger’s clasped fingers. Slowly and careful, ready to retreat but Hangyul didn’t even react. So Seungyoun left his hand there, eyes closed and head leaned back against the sofa. 

It took over an hour, almost bordering on two, before the door opened and Professor Ong came in, with Professor Sejeong following in after. The last was Professor Yoojung who closed the door behind her. 

Hangyul stood from his seat, mouth already open to ask but Professor Ong held up a hand as he approached them and placed a hand on Hangyul’s shoulder, gently pushing him back down. 

“It’s under control for now,” he announced. “You should all go back to bed.” 

“I need to see him,” he pleaded but Professor Sejeong stepped forward while shaking her head. 

“Not yet,” she replied. “He’s still changed and we need to figure out how his condition is right now.” 

“But-” 

“There is the risk that he has another reaction and we need to contain him again,” she interrupted the boy. “We were able to sedate him for now, Chungha is there and taking care of him and we’re doing all we can.” 

Seungyoun took his hands from his face. His eyes were red-rimmed and his cheeks blotchy. There was a dark green and grey next to the white strands in his normally black hair.

“How is he?” he asked and Professor Ong studied him for a second before he replied. His voice sounded weaker than usually, subdued. 

“Mainly superficial scratches,” he said. “No fractures or inner injuries as far as we could tell, except for one bite mark on his arm - but he’ll need a closer inspection. The sedative is slowing down the healing process and we’re not risking using magic if we don’t know if that would make things worse.”

Seungyoun nodded while Hangyul seemed to crumple in on himself. His head was only held up by his hands as he leaned further forward and Wooseok could hear his laboured breaths. He felt like he should get up and comfort him but at the same time he didn’t know if he really should - or if he could even offer any comfort. Beside him, Seungwoo rubbed a hand over his face. 

The entire room seemed frozen in this moment as they all processed the information Professor Ong had offered up about the injuries. Wooseok was turning everything over and over in his head but he was still drawing a blank card. He was almost sure that this had to be about Dohyon but he couldn't connect the dots. What in the world had happened to the boy?

His eyes flitted over the people in the room: Seungwoo beside him, Seungyoun and Hangyul on the other sofa, the latter’s laboured breaths strangely loud in the room. Professor Ong beside Hangyul, his gaze far away, Professor Sejeong beside him, chewing on her lower lip. Professor Yoojung who hadn't said anything since she entered, still by the door, a hand coming up to wipe her eyes. The woman seemed shaken.

The first who moved was Hyeongjun. The boy slowly sat upright, sliding his feet back onto the ground before he stood and shakily padded over to Hangyul. He stood in front of the older for a second and then his frame seemed to blur, to contract and waver until it shrunk and suddenly there was a small fluffy cat on the floor in front of the Slytherin. It hopped up onto Hangyul’s knee and squeezed into his arms, it’s head rubbing against the older’s chest. 

It took another second until Hangyul broke down. He wrapped his arms around the small kitten and curled in on himself. Even without seeing it, Wooseok knew he was crying. He was quiet in doing so, only a shiver occasionally going through his body. 

“You are all excused from the first two periods tomorrow,” Professor Yoojung suddenly said. Her voice was raspy and quiet. Her eyes were set on the floor. 

“You should go back to bed,” she continued. “There’s nothing we can do for now, and all of you need some sleep.” 

Later, Wooseok wasn’t able to tell how exactly he got back. He remembered flashes of walking through corridors, the entrance of the Slytherin common room, Seungyoun’s hand grabbing his for just a second as they walked, as if reassuring himself that he wasn’t alone. Seungwoo carefully taking the small kitten - Hyeongjun, it was Hyeongjun - back from Hangyul who looked just tired now. Empty and tired. He remembered looking over his shoulder as he accompanied Seungwoo and Hyeongjun on their way to the Hufflepuff quarters and seeing Seungyoun carefully pulling Hangyul against himself, as if afraid that he would break away. Or that he would break. 

He opened the door to the Ravenclaw common room and stepped inside. His mind was whirling, with no coherent thought available and his body was breaking out into shivers now that he had nothing else to keep him preoccupied. Cold overtook his body and he squeezed his eyes shut as he stood in front of the door, his hands clenched into fists beside his body. Shivers - or were they tremors? - shook him relentlessly and he felt like the world had started spinning. 

Warmth wrapped around him as arms came to rest against the small of his back and his nape. Warmth, and that familiar smell of woodfire and something sweet. Jinhyuk. 

He raised his hands and grabbed the older’s sweater, pressing into the embrace, shakily breathing in the calming scent and warmth. A kiss was pressed against the crown of his head and he shivered again. But he didn’t dare open his eyes. 

“What happened?” Jinhyuk asked. But Wooseok had no answer for him. Neither the truth, nor a lie to stop him from worrying. Though it was probably too late for that. He didn’t have an answer. 

But he had something that was probably the only truth available. 

“I don’t know,” he echoed his words from before, from back when he left. “I don’t know what happened. But it’s bad. And I couldn’t help.”

  
  


.oO°Oo.

One would expect the day after everything had gone to hell to be dark, cloudy, stormy. But instead it was bright outside. Only fluffy white clouds in the sky and the sun doing its best, considering March was only just starting. It was still cold and windy, but by no means as gloomy as Hangyul felt. 

He was tired, incredibly tired. And it wasn’t even because he had been up for so long. He had decided that it was probably for the best to take Professor Yoojung’s offer and not go to his first two periods. He was excused anyways. And so was Seungyoun. But his sleep had been fitful and restless. 

It had taken a while for Hangyul to stop shaking and calm down enough, but he had refused to talk. He knew Seungyoun wanted to talk about it, talk to him, but he couldn’t. His mind was whirling too much as he tried to process the past few hours. But thankfully, the older hadn’t pressed the issue. He had just stood there in the middle of the Common Room as Hangyul leaned against the closed door, his eyes closed and his hands balled into fists. 

It was as if now that Hyeongjun wasn’t there anymore radiating warmth, the darkness and the fear returned, and it was as if they were stronger than before. He had been confused, the cold hand of fear had been gripping his heart but now that the adrenaline was wearing off but nothing else had become clearer, he was afraid. Incredibly afraid of what had happened, what was still happening and how in the world it had come to pass. 

The growl that had sounded through the door and the pained howl didn’t leave his mind. He had turned over so many scenarios already, but one seemed as outlandish as the next. But he couldn’t voice any of them out. His mind was a maelstrom, pulling him in, deeper and deeper, running in circles. 

Eventually, Seungyoun had stepped in front of him, a hand on his arm. 

“Sleep,” he had whispered. And Hangyul had nodded. Even though he doubted he would be able to.

They had gone up to Seungyoun’s dorm habitually and the older had handed him pyjamas to sleep in before they went for a quick trip to the bathroom. Time was passing in weird fragments, sometimes like slow motions, sometimes like time skips. Suddenly they were laying in bed, a small distance between them, Seungyoun on his side and Hangyul on his back. Seungyoun had pulled the curtains around his bed - enough of a sign that if anyone woke up, they shouldn’t disturb them. 

Seungyoun’s finger was drawing small circles on the exposed skin of Hangyul’s arm as the younger stared up at the ceiling. His thoughts weren’t calming down, and everything inside him was in an uproar. But at the same time he felt empty. As if everything of him was still up there, in the corridor in front of the infirmary and down here was only an empty shell. 

He knew that was nonsense. Rationally, he was just trying to process the shock while simultaneously trying to figure out what went wrong and wondering how Dohyon was feeling. Rationally, everything was pretty clear. But he couldn’t bring himself to stay rational. He squeezed his eyes shut in an attempt to block out the void that seemed to loom over him and focussed on everything else. But his breathing was erratic and his heartbeat irregular. There was only Seungyoun’s small touch that was still grounding him. 

The circles. Slow and regular, with gentle, slightly rough fingers. The tiny touch of warmth that was radiating from around it, the tickle of it, the slight difference in feeling when one of the older’s blunt nails raked over his skin instead. He concentrated on that small touch and the void was swirling slower. It didn’t go, but it was slower: less and less pull, less and less chaos. 

He felt exhaustion set in. 

With a sigh he turned onto his side and felt the hand disappear, Seungyoun stilling for a second. But he gave the older no chance to pull back and scooted closer instead, close enough to touch, to feel the warmth the other was giving off. An arm wrapped around him and pulled him closer, moving Hangyul’s head to rest at the base of Seungyoun’s neck and he reached out automatically, one hand coming to rest on the older’s chest, one wrapping around his waist. 

He didn’t say anything. And neither did Seungyoun. They just stayed like this, silent and intertwined. 

Sleep only came in small amounts that night. But Hangyul was almost glad it did. That way, at least he avoided the nightmares. 

When morning came as the grey light peeking over the horizon before the sun followed, he felt Seungyoun press a soft kiss against his forehead.

“You should be sleeping,” he said, voice deep and rough, and felt Seungyoun’s breath catch. 

“So should you,” the older replied but Hangyul huffed out a soft breath. 

“You shouldn’t be losing more sleep,” he scolded, but there was no bite to his words. It was more like trying to keep some kind of normalcy with them, to have at least something remain untouched. He knew Seungyoun understood what he was trying to do. But he didn’t reply. 

Instead, his hold on Hangyul tightened and he felt the older nuzzle into the crown of his hair. His own body remained frozen. He still felt so empty, so strange. But at least the imminent panic had receded. But there was a strong feeling of dread that was now settled in his chest. Dread of what might come next. 

“We should talk to the others about it,” Seungyoun mumbled. “At least those that were there.”

Hangyul stayed quiet. He knew Seungyoun was right but it felt wrong, to talk about it without Dohyon - or without asking him first. 

“We can wait for Dohyonnie to wake up and decide,” Seungyoun continued and Hangyul squeezed his eyes shut tighter at the phrase ‘wake up’. It felt like a punch to the heart, even imagining what that boy must be going through right now. 

“We could wait,” Seungyoun tried again, his voice barely a whisper, “but they deserve to know, I think. After what they saw, what they heard. And I don’t want to put that burden onto Hyon when we don’t know-” 

He broke off. Hangyul knew that the older had a very good point, and he had to agree. But he had kept Dohyon’s secret for so long, he felt himself rear back at the prospect of having to reveal it. But keeping it a secret, at least from those few there, would make the situation even harder. 

“Hyeongjun knows,” he eventually replied and he could feel Seungyoun let out a breath he had been holding as he waited for his answer. 

“He’s- obviously he knows,” he repeated. “Seungwoo and Wooseok though.” 

“I have a feeling Seungwoo knows more than he lets on already,” Seungyoun interjected. “Maybe I’m reading him wrong and he was just incredibly skilled at handling a crisis, but the way he acted, and when he said these things about the potion…”

Hangyul nodded, his forehead brushing over Seungyoun’s chest before he tilted his head up enough so the tip of his nose was brushing against the skin of Seungyoun’s neck. 

“He knows something, maybe figured it out,” he agreed. “But Wooseok doesn’t. He had no idea what was happening.” 

“I wish they didn’t involve him,” the older mumbled but Hangyul chuckled mirthlessly. 

“He’s the headboy,” he reminded the older. “It was either him or Eunbi, and they probably wanted to get people that might know.”

“True.” 

Silence returned as they both stilled. More light started flooding into the room as the sun rose and Hangyul knew that it couldn’t be much longer until the first alarms rang. He stretched his neck upwards and pressed a light kiss to Seungyoun’s neck. 

“Maybe,” he suggested, “we should try to get at least some more sleep.” 

Seungyoun nodded in reply and Hangyul turned his head so his forehead was once again leaning against Seungyoun’s neck while closing his eyes. He felt almost dizzy at this point, but he knew he wouldn’t find much sleep. But he drifted off after a few minutes, long enough to miss the ring of the first alarm. 

He woke from Seungyoun running his fingers through his hair. He opened his eyes slowly, ready to block out the light, and looked up. The older was sitting on the edge of the bed, fully dressed and softly smiling, but with dark circles under his eyes. Hangyul blinked a few times before he sat up, his hand with a mind of its own coming to caress the bruise-like skin gently. 

“An owl just came with a letter for you,” Seungyoun said softly. “A few minutes ago. I think it’s Chungha.”

Hangyul felt his heart drop but he was almost proud that his hands weren’t shaking when he took the roll of parchment, sealed with blue wax. He looked at it for a second before he broke the seal and opened the message. 

_ Come to my office during fourth period. Professor Kim Doyeon is already informed.  _ _   
_ _ Greetings,  _

_ Kim Chungha, Head of Ravenclaw  _

Hangyul sucked in a breath and his heart started pounding as he tried to make sense of this. Had something else happened? 

“Gyul,” Seungyoun said after deciphering the message upside down. “Calm down. I’m sure she doesn’t want to make you wait for too long and barge into the infirmary.”

Hangyul nodded numbly. He hoped Seungyoun was right. 

He was at the Professor’s office within two minutes of the end of his third period. He hadn’t paid any attention in DADA at all, but thankfully Professor Yoojung hadn’t even reprimanded him. They had been going over theory mainly. Yohan had thrown him a worried glance when he had shot up as soon as class was dismissed and sprinted out of the room, practically running to the Transfiguration teacher’s office. 

The door was opened before he could even knock. 

“Come in,” Professor Kim greeted him and held open the door for him. He mumbled a ‘thank you’ as he passed the small woman and looked around the office. It was brightly lit with large windows and very tidy. Some potted plants were here and there. He sat on the chair in front of the desk that Professor Kim gestured him towards as she went around and took a seat behind her desk. 

“Before we start,” she began, “I want to assure you that nothing of what happened yesterday will circle into the student body without permission. “The staff, all of them, made sure that no students were around the perimeter at any point and we chose the few students we called in a rush, admittedly, but not without reason. But even they will not receive any information and all of us will stay quiet if that is what Dohyon and you decided on.”

Her piercing eyes took on a softer expression and she leaned her forearms onto the table. 

“Hangyul,” she said. “I have to apologise. To both you and Dohyon.”

Hangyul felt his eyes go wide at her words as Professor Kim continued speaking. 

When he left her office half an hour later, Seungyoun was leaning against the wall outside, his arms crossed and his eyes set on the floor. When he heard the door open, he looked up and a gentle smile appeared on his lips, but there was sorrow in his eyes. Hangyul could see he was trying to mask his worry. He pulled the door shut behind him and stepped forward, Seungyoun already coming towards him. 

“How did it go?” he asked but Hangyul knew what he was really asking. ‘How bad is it?’

“It’s not- it’s still not completely under control,” he said slowly. “But not as bad as I expected.” 

“Can you go see him?”

It meant ‘Can  _ we _ go? Can I come? Do you let me in?’

“Tomorrow, she said,” he replied. “He’s not- Not yet.”

Warmth pressed against his wrist, circling it and he lifted his other hand absentmindedly and reached inside his right sleeve, stroking his fingers over Lafayette. The small python had curled around his arm during the talk, occasionally peeking out lazily before curling back into himself. 

Hangyul looked up to see Seungyoun stare at his hands, but his eyes were unseeing, worry still so obviously painted onto his features that he didn’t even need the dark green and grey streaks in his hair.

“Hey,” he said, snapping the older out of his haze. “I think you’re right. About telling the others.” 

Seungyoun focussed on him. 

“They deserve to know,” Hangyul continued. “And while I still think it should be on Dohyon’s terms, I can’t just spring this on him after all this and expect him to explain. But I can’t do this on my own either.” 

He reached forward and grabbed Seungyoun’s hand. He had realised when he had opened the door and seen Seungyoun, his face a mask of concern and his emotions a display in the colour of his hair - a colour scheme that hadn’t changed since yesterday when he had held Hangyul back from the door save for the white. 

White: A sudden shock. Grey: Sadness. Fear. Both were colours he hardly ever saw on Seungyoun. But the worst of them was the deep dark forest green. Green, that was usually the colour relating to his affection, his deepest love and true happiness. But that affection could be turned around. And you only felt pain for someone that was dear to you, didn’t you?

Hangyul could figure easily that the colours wouldn’t just disappear. But unless he acted, Seungyoun was going to hold himself back, because everyone knew how close Hangyul and Dohyon were. But Hangyul knew just how important Dohyon was to Seungyoun too. And he was not going to dismiss this. 

“I need your help with this,” he admitted and he knew that Seungyoun realised that he was not just talking about telling Seungwoo and Wooseok. This was about more. 

Seungyoun’s eyes widened a fraction and Hangyul saw a small streak of lime green suddenly appear in the dark colours of the older’s hair. His colour. 

“We all finish early today,” Seungyoun said. “Let’s do it then. Better early than late.” 

Hangyul hesitated for a second but there was nothing wrong with that logic. He nodded. 

“Let’s ask them to meet up,” he replied, gesturing towards the general direction of the Great Hall, already taking a slow step that Seungyoun mirrored a second later. As they headed through the empty corridors, he summarised his talk with Professor Kim for Seungyoun who mainly listened, only commenting now and then. 

They reached the Great Hall that was still empty save for a few scattered students. Fourth period was still in session after all, and so they waited at their house table, still exchanging some thoughts, when Hangyul stilled in the middle of his sentence. 

“Seungyoun,” he said slowly, “don’t you usually have class around this time?”

“I do.”

Hangyul whipped his head to the older, disbelief on his features. 

“I skipped.” 

“You what?”

“I skipped. I didn’t want you to be alone with your thoughts after that talk,” the older said and looked up. “And truthfully, I didn’t want to either. So here I am.”

Hangyul could feel his resolve crumble away at the sincerity behind the older’s words. He opened his mouth to reprimand the older despite his good intentions but what came out was not what he had planned.

“I love you.” 

And he realised, he really did. Not like he hadn’t known before, but sometimes there were moments when he looked at the other, or Seungyoun said something and he just knew, he loved that man. In every sense of the word. As a friend, as something like family, as his boyfriend. 

Seungyoun looked back at him and waggled his eyebrows. 

“I know,” he said. And the moment was gone. Once again Hangyul asked himself why exactly he loved that dumbass. But when he started chuckling and the school bell rang, he realised that despite everything that was still happening, the dread had been reduced. For the moment at least. 

Was that what people meant with the world not stopping despite what happened? Everything felt so normal. And in a sense it was. Most of the world around them was still as it had been yesterday. Surreal, in a way. 

Students slowly started filing in and Hangyul looked up, waiting for Seungwoo and Wooseok to enter. It didn’t take too long until he saw the small headboy enter and he stood from his seat and weaved his way through the students. As he got closer, he saw how pale the older boy looked. He probably hadn’t slept much either. He was discussing something with Jinhyuk beside him and the older was bringing a smile to the Ravenclaw’s face. Hangyul had to admit, he was glad that those two had gotten their shit together eventually. 

As he got closer and Wooseok noticed him, his steps slowed. Hangyul saw Jinhyuk’s eyes land on him and raise an eyebrow for a second, but he just placed a hand on Wooseok’s shoulder for a second and then turned to head for the Gryffindor table. Hangyul was thankful; for all his chaotic nature, the Gryffindor knew how to read a situation. 

When he came to a stop in front of Wooseok, the older scanned him and pursed his lips. 

“You look like you didn’t sleep,” he scolded but the usual hardness in his voice was wavering. Hangyul chuckled dryly. 

“Same goes for you,” he replied and Wooseok sent him a tired smile. Hangyul took a deep breath. It was now or he would lose the determination to do this.

“Are you free today after sixth period?” he asked softly and Wooseok blinked before he nodded. 

“Come to our Common Room then,” Hangyul continued. “I think we need to talk about some things.” 

Wooseok opened his mouth slightly, and Hangyul saw his chest rise in a heavy breath. 

“You don’t have to tell me,” he whispered, but Hangyul shook his head. 

“I think I should,” he said. “You deserve to know.” 

Wooseok looked slightly conflicted. He knew the older was worried sick about what happened, but the teachers had probably already told him that this was being kept under wraps and Wooseok had a strong sense of justice. He knew that this was personal, and potentially dangerous - he didn’t want to intrude on anything, but he was also afraid of what he might discover. It was all understandable. 

“Is something up?” a voice asked beside them and Hangyul flinched and tore his eyes from Wooseok to look up at Seungwoo standing beside them, his face just as pale as theirs and worry etched into his eyes. Hangyul shook his head slightly. 

“You’re free after sixth period too, right?” he asked instead and the older nodded. “Come to our Common Room then. I already told Wooseok. I- We have to explain some things.” 

Seungwoo took a second to nod. 

“Maybe I should bring Hyeongjun too,” he suggested. “He was there, and he is involved in all of this.”

Hangyul nodded quickly. He had almost forgotten that the younger boy knew some things but not all of them. 

“Bring him,” he said. “He needs to know everything.” 

Seungwoo studied him for a moment and then placed a hand on his shoulder. 

“Did something else happen?” he asked slowly and Hangyul knew what he meant. Did it get worse?

“No,” he replied simply. “I’ll tell you everything later, but for now it’s okay I think.”

Seungwoo just sent him another nod and squeezed his shoulder for a second before he turned towards his house table. Wooseok looked after him, then turned to Hangyul again with a small smile and headed to the Ravenclaws. Hangyul took a deep breath and then followed their example, heading back and sitting back down next to Seungyoun who was already deep in conversation with some of their housemates. The older handed him a plate with food and a smile when Hangyul nodded to show that everything had gone well without interrupting his sentence. 

So now he had to wait for just over two hours until everything would be out in the open. 

Time passed faster than expected. Class seemed to drag on initially, but suddenly the bell was ringing and Hangyul realised that he had retained next to no information from his two lessons - but he would worry about that later. Hopefully, someone would lend him their notes. He glanced around the room, trying to remind himself who was here too and his eyes fell on Jungmo - and Minhee by his side. He suppressed a giggle as he looked at the pair: Jungmo was packing his things away while Minhee was draped over the table, his head on his arms and eyes looking up at the older with the expression of a kicked puppy, while Jungmo was smiling brightly at him. Hangyul could see the fondness in his eyes. Those two were really getting along, and now that their two weeks were almost up he was sure that the friendship that had developed between them would prevail. 

“Hyung?” a soft voice behind him asked and he turned around to see Hyeongjun holding on to the stone of the door frame, eyes wide. He raised his eyebrows but took his bag and stepped towards the younger. 

“Hey,” he greeted. “What are you doing here?” 

Hyeongjun shrugged and Hangyul felt a pang to his heart when he truly noticed how small the boy was, and how he looked even tinier in his worried state. 

“Seungwoo hyung said you wanted to explain everything,” he stated, “and I had class two rooms over and I saw you, so…”

Hangyul nodded and smiled softly at the younger. 

“Let’s go then,” he replied. “The others are probably waiting already.”

Hyeongjun nodded and they headed towards the stairs that would lead them down into the dungeons. They walked in silence, but Hangyul noticed how Hyeongjun stayed rather close to him, almost close enough to touch him. He figured that this was probably the boy coping with the shock he had gotten yesterday, but maybe also part of his nature. Hyeongjun was usually close to someone around him. So while they walked he made sure to brush against the boy’s hand and arm a few times, in hopes it made him feel more secure. 

It turned out he had been almost right when he had predicted that the seventh years were there already: Seungyoun and Wooseok were already huddled on a sofa, chatting quietly and barely looking up when Hangyul entered the Common Room. His eyes automatically searched for Dohyon but he was reminded where exactly the younger was after a second. 

Behind him the door opened again and he heard Seungwoo let out a sound of surprise as he entered behind them. 

“Is there a reason we’re standing here?” he asked and Hangyul snapped out of it and shook his head, glancing at the older over his shoulder before pointing at the other two. 

“I was trying to see if they would notice us,” he tried to explain though he knew it was only half true. Wooseok and Seungyoun were already looking at them. But he was spacing out too much, he needed to get his head together for this. So instead of saying anything else he headed over and sat down on the armchair beside the sofa while Hyeongjun and Seungwoo took the second sofa opposite Seungyoun and Wooseok. 

Hangyul looked at all of them, gathering his thoughts and leaning forward with his elbows perched onto his knees. A quick check showed him that the Common Room was practically deserted save for a couple of bickering fourth years and a napping Baekjin. They were safe from listening ears. 

“I don’t really know where to start,” he admitted flatly. “Frankly, this isn’t even my place to tell anyone but Seungyoun and I agreed that you deserved to know what happened and what is going on. And that waiting for him to do it himself - maybe it would be too much of a burden.” 

“So this is about Dohyon?” Wooseok asked quietly and Hangyul nodded, eyes set on the small Ravenclaw. Wooseok’s eyes were wide and fearful - fear for the younger boy. 

“Long story short,” he said, “Dohyonnie’s a werewolf. Has been for a very long time, since his childhood. I know, Seungyoun knows and the teachers. And Byungchan. Oh, and Hyeongjun I assume?” 

The small boy flinched and then nodded, eyes wide and expression wary. But Hangyul sent him a comforting smile, a genuine one. 

“Thanks for being there for him,” he said. “He hates being alone when he’s changed and I know that he’s been happier since you joined him.”

His words were apparently the right thing to say, judging by how Hyeongjun slowly blushed and a small smile appeared on his features for a second before he looked up, wary again. 

“I should probably explain myself too-” he started but Hangyul shook his head. 

“Only if you want to,” he said. “It’s unexpected, but you don’t have to tell us anything if you don’t want to do it out of your own volition. You need to decide this by yourself, and-”

A hand landed on his knee and he broke off, looking at the hand and then the person it belonged to. Seungyoun looked at him with raised eyebrows. 

“Gyul,” he said, “You’re rambling.” 

Oops. Right. Hangyul awkwardly cleared his throat and looked around: judging by the amused snort Seungwoo let out and Wooseok’s curling lips he really was rambling. But now that he stopped talking he didn’t know where to start again and he looked at Seungyoun, pleading for help with his eyes. 

“I figured he was a werewolf,” Seungwoo said calmly and Hangyul’s head shot around to the older fast enough to make the vertebrae crack. They had assumed Seungwoo knew more, but just how much did he know?

The older Hufflepuff looked up at the flabbergasted expressions that were being directed at him. 

“It was basically coincidence that I found out,” he explained. “You know how I work in the greenhouses a lot?” 

All four of them nodded at the question. 

“I was taking care of the herbs with Professor Sejeong and I always asked her what they were for. She’d always tell me, or let me figure it out by giving hints. I really learned a lot from her-” 

Seungwoo shook his head to get himself back on track. 

“Anyways,” he continued. “One day, Professor Sohye came in and asked for Dohyon’s herbs.” 

Hangyul raised his eyebrows. Seungwoo shrugged. 

“I don’t think she saw me, I was in a corner and she never said what potion she was making - it could have been a normal health potion, or something for allergies after all.”

“How did you figure out that Dohyon was a werewolf from just that though?” Seungyoun asked disbelievingly. Seungwoo shook his head.

“I saw the plants Professor Sejeong gave her,” he elaborated. “Wolf’s bane - or Aconitum - along with some sprigs of mountain ash, also called Rowan. I checked later and there are a number of potions where both ingredients are needed, but most are connected to wolves or werewolves. And they are the main ingredient for wolfsbane.” 

Seungwoo clasped his hands together and Hangyul saw that they were shaking slightly. 

“I was worried,” the older admitted. “I tried to keep an eye on Dohyon and noticed how he was always sick on a full moon. It was so obvious, but somehow I never noticed before. I thought he was maybe prone to fevers or something. But this-” 

Seungwoo looked up and his eyes were fixed on Hangyul. 

“I even thought about asking him, and I would have done so if you hadn’t always been more worried over him whenever the full moon came around. Both of you.” 

The older nodded at Seungyoun. 

“You knew, that much was clear at some point, and I decided that it was not my place to bring it up if Dohyon didn’t really talk about it to anyone. So I kept quiet.” 

Hangyul was speechless. Both shock and surprise were whirling in his chest. Surprise at how Seungwoo had figured everything,  _ everything _ , out but hadn’t said anything - thankfully. And shock at how easy it had been to unveil Dohyon’s secret. They had been lucky it had been their friend. The younger boy wasn’t ashamed of his condition, but he was scared of how people might react. There were still enough people with prejudice against werewolves, or that saw them as dangers in general. 

“So you knew,” Seungyoun mumbled and Hangyul could hear the amazement in his voice. Seungwoo nodded. 

“I did,” he said. “So don’t worry about me. But I think Wooseok knows nothing, so maybe we should fill him in some more.” 

All eyes fell on the headboy who was sitting motionless next to Seungyoun, pale as a sheet. Hangyul felt his heart rate pick up; the blank expression Wooseok was sporting was more disconcerting than his previous worry. What was the boy thinking now that he knew. 

“Is it really true?” came the whispered question from the Ravenclaw and Hangyul nodded. “He’s a werewolf?”

He nodded again and Wooseok buried his face in his hands.

“Oh god,” he mumbled. “He’s been- all that time- since he was a child.” 

A shiver ran through the boy and Hangyul felt like ice was dropped into his stomach. He wasn’t sure how to read Wooseok’s reaction yet. 

“He’s been-” Wooseok mumbled again. Then he looked up, wide eyes boring into Hangyul’s. 

“What has he been going through?” he asked in disbelief. “Was last night- does that happen often? Is he always- always in that much pain?” 

Hangyul was taken aback. With how panicked the older had sounded, with his reaction he had already prepared himself for a bad reaction to his revelation. He should have known, he scolded himself - Wooseok cared too much, especially for the younger ones of their friend group. 

Before he could reply, Hyeongjun spoke up. 

“No,” he said gently. “He isn't. Normally he doesn’t feel pain at all because of the potion. He is just calm and he usually falls asleep at some point.”

Hangyul sighed in relief, throwing Hyeongjun a thankful glance before he looked back at Wooseok. The older looked really shaken. 

“He used to be in pain because of the transformation before the recipe was adapted,” he added. “It wasn’t extreme but not pleasant either - at least that’s what he said. But with the potions he becomes pretty much harmless.”

Wooseok nodded slowly. 

“And last night?” he asked quietly and Hangyul felt like a stone had been dropped into the pit of his stomach. 

“They don’t know yet,” he started, “and apparently there are a lot of different possible reasons, so it’ll take time.”

He looked at the others. Seungwoo frowned. 

“Multiple reasons?” he asked incredulously and Hangyul nodded. 

“Professor said so,” he breathed out. “The potion might have been faulty, some ingredient was changed or affected beforehand, Dohyon might have developed a resistance, or had something like an allergic reaction?” 

His mouth felt dry and his voice scratchy as his voice faded to almost a whisper. Professor Kim’s words from earlier returned to his mind. 

‘We can’t even rule out the possibility of outside influence.’

Thankfully, Seungyoun took over. 

“It could also be something like a sickness he was harboring without knowing and that something happened through this. And they are checking everything, and it seems the least probable, but-” 

Seungyoun faltered for a second. 

“Maybe it was outside influence.”

“Like a curse?” 

Wooseok’s voice was quiet, but his words cut through all of them. The mental image he conjured was not a pleasant one, but Hangyul had to admit that the suspicion was justified.

Seungyoun shrugged. 

“There are so many safety precautions, in and around the school,” he said. “It just seems so unlikely but at the same time-”

They all knew what he meant. Hangyul took a deep breath before he looked at the small Hufflepuff boy. 

“He went completely out of control,” he explained carefully. “That’s why they took you out, Junnie, and why they didn’t let any of us in again. He was attacking everything, no matter if animal, human or other magic creature.”

Hyeongjun gasped and brought his hand up to his mouth while Seungwoo’s calmer expression fell. 

“They didn’t really know what to do because Professor Kim was away.”

“The transfiguration congress,” Wooseok groaned. “She was in Bristol.” 

Hangyul nodded. 

“They contacted her and Professor Sejeong tried to reach out to Dohyon and calm him down while they waited for an opening,” he continued. “I’ve seen him lose his control before, but never that bad. But there’s always a part of him that tells him not to hurt anyone and-”

He broke off, his heart thundering at the mere memory and his voice almost breaking. 

“He tries to create an opening for people to step in, so he hurts himself - bites, scratches, throws himself into things - to distract himself.”

The howl. It had been like feeling the pain for himself. 

“They used that moment to go in and restrain him,” he went on and Seungyoun’s hand squeezed his knee in support. “They could sedate him, but that anaesthetic slowed the healing and the transformation. They didn’t want to tinker so instead they waited and called for an expert from St. Mungo’s too, as well as Chungha. They have been waiting it out, kept him asleep until he transformed back, but he’s still out of it so we can’t see him yet.” 

Silence fell over the room as the others processed the information save for Seungyoun, who had heart most of it before. 

“So he’s not alone?” Hyeongjun asked quietly and Hangyul nodded. 

“There’s always someone with him,” he replied, “and soon you’d be allowed to be back with him if you want to. It’s your choice, of course.” 

Hyeongjun lit up at the words, relief painted on his features. 

“Thank god,” he mumbled and Seungwoo wrapped an arm around him. Hangyul smiled and looked over to Wooseok. The older boy had his face hidden in his hands but his breathing seemed calm enough. 

“Wooseok?” he asked gently and the headboy sighed deeply. 

“I’m glad,” he mumbled. “I’m relieved, but honestly I’m still so worried.” 

Hangyul nodded and reached out, placing a hand on the older’s arm, almost sliding out of his chair in the process. 

“It’ll be okay,” he said. “It will not be easy for Dohyonnie to process what happened, but as long as he’s not alone it’s possible for him.” 

Wooseok nodded fervently and rubbed his hands over his face before he looked up at the ceiling. There were red rims around his eyes, but he quickly schooled his expression into one of determination when he looked back at Hangyul. 

“Does anyone else know?” he asked and Hangyul exchanged a short look with Seungyoun. This was headboy Kim Wooseok. Wooseok wasn’t good with too many emotions, so he usually put up this front until he had worked through everything. So be it. 

“No,” Hangyul said. “As far as we know, no one. The teachers made sure no one got close, they posted staff everywhere - and nothing will be given out.”

Wooseok nodded. 

“They are keeping it all under wraps then?”

“Yup.”

“Good. Then it’s still Dohyon’s choice to tell everyone.” 

Wooseok chewed on his lower lip and within a moment his headboy facade was gone. He seemed to hesitate for a moment and Hangyul tilted his head. 

“You look like you want to ask something,” he gently coaxed and Wooseok stayed still for a moment before he nodded and turned to Seungyoun. 

“How did you find out?” he asked, tone apprehensive. But Seungyoun sent him a reassuring smile. 

“He told me at some point,” he replied. “I was surprised, but it didn’t change anything.” 

“You got worried for him more easily,” Hangyul added, voice and expression filled with reminiscence. “Especially in the beginning. You hid from him, but you were always ready to fight the world for him.” 

“And I would still do it,” Seungyoun added on. Then he quirked an eyebrow. 

“But now that we’re talking about it,” he mused, “how does Byungchan know?” 

Hangyul opened his mouth to reply but closed it again. He looked at the others. 

“I have no idea,” he admitted. 

“But talking about knowing things,” Hyeongjun piped up suddenly, “I’d like to explain.” 

Four pairs of eyes went to him but he spoke up again before anyone could even react. 

“And I want to do this,” he claimed confidently. “It’s not complicated anyways. I’m an animagus, it’s a family thing and Professor Kim was coaching me because- because I was having a hard time. She introduced me to Dohyon and that’s how we became friends.” 

Hangyul nodded slowly before a question popped into his head. 

“So Dohyon knows who you are?” he asked and Hyeongjun nodded. “And does Wonjin know?”

“Oh my god, Hangyul!” Seungyoun butted in, but he was grinning. “You can’t just ask people if their boyfriend knows they’re a cat!”

Hyeongjun snorted, but there was a pink blush coating his cheeks. 

“He knows,” he mumbled. “I told him- more like showed him- and-”

Hangyul tensed. If Wonjin had reacted badly in any way he was prepared to beat his housemate's ass. Gently, of course. But still. But Hyeongjun giggled. 

“I think he lost a few brain cells when he tried to understand everything,” he commented and Hangyul snorted involuntarily. He had wanted to remain completely serious, but his plan had been foiled. The rest of the boys looked about as amused as Hangyul felt though, and he was glad that at least the somber atmosphere from before had been dissolved a bit. It wouldn’t be good for them to be gloomy all the time, especially not if they wanted to be there for Dohyon. The younger picked up on moods too easily.

He looked over the four boys around him. He felt like this had been the right decision.

.oO°Oo.

  
  


“You look tired,” Seungyoun remarked when he sat back down next to Hangyul. He had accompanied the other boys to the door a few minutes ago and had disappeared after. Now he placed a few chocolate frogs into Hangyul’s lap. The younger smiled at the gesture - chocolate frogs were his favourite after all. But he didn’t really feel hungry right now. 

Instead of replying to the older, he just leaned against Seungyoun’s shoulder with a sigh. He felt drained, and now that there wasn’t anything to distract him, the dread was returning. And it was harder keeping it down. He closed his eyes for a moment, his features scrunching up for a second. But long enough for Seungyoun to notice. 

He reached over and pulled Hangyul’s right arm to rest on the boy’s legs, reaching into the sleeve carefully and pulling out a sleepy Lafayette. The ball python barely budged, too used to someone moving it around at this point. He placed the snake in Hangyul’s lap, where it stayed still for a second and then began moving about, nudging it’s head against fabric and limbs, tongue darting out and beady eyes scanning its surroundings.

Hangyul moved a finger over the winding body as he was hesitating to answer. He wasn’t sure how to word his feelings right now. 

“Do you regret telling them?” Seungyoun asked quietly. Hangyul hesitated. 

“It feels...awry,” he admitted. “It wasn’t my place to tell this to anyone, but at the same time it felt wrong to leave them in the dark or say everything was fine.”

Seungyoun nodded and leaned his cheek against Hangyul’s head. 

“You’re not feeling responsible, right?” the older whispered. When he was met by silence he lifted his head and looked at the younger who was refusing to meet his gaze. Sighing, he placed a finger under Hangyul’s chin and tilted his face up. 

“Lee Hangyul, you,” he emphasised, “are not responsible for what happened. In no way possible.” 

Hangyul held his gaze for a moment. Then he nodded. 

“I know,” he replied. “But I just feel like I…”

His voice turned into a whisper as he tried to get the words right. 

“I left him alone,” he whispered. “I was late after practise, and I couldn’t go see him - Nurse Kim wouldn’t let me in, because the moon was so high already and…”

A breathless sound escaped him, like a dry sob. 

“I wasn’t even there for him before all of this happened, and I know that even though he says it’s okay he is still scared of his transformations, still scared of what could happen or that he’s being left alone for what he is and I wasn’t there-”

Arms wrapped around Hangyul and pulled him into a tight embrace as he broke off his rambling. His breath was going faster and he felt like pulling his hair out as worry, frustration and anger at himself, at his carelessness created a whirlpool inside him. 

“Hangyul, he knows you care,” Seungyoun whispered reassuringly. “He knows you care so much, and that you wouldn’t leave him alone-” 

“But I wasn’t there.”

Hangyul’s voice was filled with regret. With defeat. 

“I wasn’t there before, and I wasn’t there after it happened. He was completely alone, all the time and I wasn’t there, not only once-”

“Then let’s go,” Seungyoun whispered. Hangyul stilled in his arms, eyes wide. 

“They won’t let us in before tomorrow,” he said but Seungyoun pursed his lips. 

“I might be wrong,” he said carefully, “But if they are going to let one person in there it’s going to be you.” 

And with that the older let go and got to his feet pulling Hangyul up after. 

“Let’s go there,” he suggested. “If they turn us away, then so be it. But we can at least try.” 

And he turned around and strutted off towards the door, pulling Hangyul with him. The younger stumbled after him. His eyes set themselves onto the older boy’s head as he tried to comprehend why Seungyoun was doing this. He knew his boyfriend loved Dohyon fiercely, and would protect him from everything if he could. And he also knew Hangyul well enough to know when he had to take the younger’s mind off things. Was he doing this as a distraction for both of them?

They stepped into the hallway and Hangyul glanced up at Seungyoun’s profile in the flickering torch light. The older looked determined, jaw set and eyes forward - as if he was sure that they would get into the infirmary somehow. Hangyul glanced at him again and again, and he knew Seungyoun noticed but the older wasn’t letting any of his thoughts be known. Just once he looked at Hangyul, a small smile curling around his lips and a violet streak of hair on his forehead. Hangyul grinned. 

Violet was competitiveness. And determination. And a determined Seungyoun was pretty much unstoppable. 

It turned out they didn’t need to beg after all. The hallway to the infirmary was empty and no one was posted. Seungyoun had knocked on the door, shoulders squared and face set in a frown until Hangyul had pinched his side to stop being dramatic. Seungyoun had let out a squeal just when the door opened. 

Nurse Sun looked at them for a second before she waved at Hangyul to come in. It seemed too easy and he froze for a second, but Seungyoun gave him a light shove and he stumbled after the stern looking woman. The infirmary was empty save for a bed where an unfamiliar wizard wrapped in his robes was sleeping. Hangyul squinted until he could see a badge on the collar of the man’s robe: St. Mungo’s. 

“He’s an expert on werewolf transformations,” Nurse Kim whispered as they passed the man. “Best in his field. He knows what he’s doing.” 

Hangyul knew she didn’t need to tell him, but the fact that she did it filled him with warmth. Her cold demeanour had most people overlook the caring nature of their school nurse, but he would forever be grateful to this woman. She had treated Dohyon like everyone else from the beginning: stern, but with an underlying softness and empathy. 

They reached a small room next to her office and Nurse Kim turned around to him. 

“I can’t let you go in alone,” she said. “We still don’t know enough, and theoretically you shouldn’t even touch him because of risks but-” 

Hangyul was ready to assure her that just seeing Dohyon was enough but the look she shot him had him keep his mouth shut. 

“You’re allowed to get close because I’m with you and he is still sedated,” she continued. “But to be honest, I don’t think you will be prepared for this. So I’m coming in for you too. I don’t want you passing out and hitting your head.” 

Hangyul nodded, eyes wide. He could hear his heartbeat thundering in his ears and a shiver crawled up his back at Nurse Sun’s words. She was dead serious. 

“Then go on,” she told him and nodded at the door. Hangyul took a deep breath and reached out for the handle, twisting the know and pushing the door open. 

A humming sound reached his ears, like the sound of a machine. He stepped into the room. 

There was only one bed in here, but the room was filled nonetheless. There were several strange apparati scattered around the bed, made from copper and tin. Long poles, bars, orbs attached to the poles. It looked almost like a mobilé if not for the various tubes and wires leading towards the bed. He stilled. 

“That’s an apparatus from St. Mungo’s,” Nurse Kim said quietly. “It’s mainly surveillance, like the muggle machines, and a variety of different potions and medications for recovery and analysis. Too complicated to explain.” 

Hangyul nodded numbly and took a step closer. He felt wobbly. Among the apparati he spotted one that he knew from muggle hospitals. 

“Regular infusions have proven to be the most effective,” Nurse Kim added. 

He took a deep breath and crossed the distance to Dohyon’s bed, careful to not bump into any of the apparati around him. 

Dohyon seemed so small and fragile. The boy was pale in the white sheets surrounding him. One of the tubes, the infusion one, connected to his hand while another few led to the inside of his elbow and underneath the blankets. His eyes were closed with dark shadows underneath them. 

His left arm was placed over the blanket, wrapped in thick white bandages with another tube leading into it. There were still some scratch marks littered over what little was visible of his face and neck. His body probably looked the same. 

“The puncture wound?” Hangyul brought out shakily. He felt like someone had punched the air out of him. 

“It’s healing,” Nurse Kim said. She sounded just a measure softer than normal. “The healing is slowed down, but it’s working.”

He nodded and trailed his eyes over the bed again before he stepped close enough for his thigh to slightly bump against the bed frame. Slowly, he raised a hand and reached out, brushing the hair out of Dohyon’s face. He felt afraid of his touch being too strong, of it hurting with all the barely healed wounds around it.

But you’re also afraid of waking him up, a voice whispered in his head. Afraid of what you’ll see. Afraid of what Dohyon might think of himself now. And of how you’re dealing with it. 

He suppressed the whisper in his head. 

“When is he going to wake up?” he asked. His voice sounded more stable than expected. He heard a quiet sigh behind him and one of the machine’s apertures let out a small cloud of steam. 

“We're counting on tonight or tomorrow morning,” she said. “We’re lowering doses slowly to make it easier for his body to adapt. Our main worry is about his mental health right now.” 

Hangyul nodded but he felt like he was surrounded by cotton. Everything sounded muffled as he kept brushing his hand through Dohyon’s hair. 

“What are you doing here?” Nurse Sun asked suddenly and before Hangyul could even turn around, a small brown cat jumped onto the bed. Hyeongjun. The boy - well, the cat - looked up at Hangyul for a moment before it padded to Dohyon’s pillow and curled up there, his head placed against the sleeping boy’s neck. A purr reached Hangyul’s ears. 

“How can there be so many kids that know about this?” Nurse Sun grumbled, but there was no real bite to her voice. Hangyul shrugged. 

“We grew up together,” he whispered. “I was there- I was with him after it happened.” 

Hyeongjun lifted his head. Nurse Kim stayed quiet. 

“He was five - or just barely six, I can’t remember - but it was an accident. And he dealt with it ever since, and…”

He broke off. 

“Do his parents know?” he asked instead. 

“They do,” Nurse Kim replied. “But they can’t leave india at the moment so it’ll take them a bit. Some local government thing.” 

Hangyul nodded and took a step back. 

“Can I come back tomorrow?” he asked, knowing that the longer he stayed, the harder it would be to leave again. Nurse Sun hummed. 

“Depending on his state,” she said curtly and placed a hand on his arm, turning Hangyul around. “We’ll have to see.” 

She led him out of the room again and past the still sleeping man on the bed. Nurse Sun opened the door and Hangyul stepped through. Seungyoun was waiting outside, arms crossed and grey streaked through his hair again. Hangyul sent him a shaky smile before he turned back to the nurse for a second. 

“Thank you,” he said genuinely. He couldn’t really put his feelings into words, so he left it at that. Nurse Sun nodded and then closed the door without another word. 

Hangyul sighed and turned back to Seungyoun who was still leaning against the wall. With a shaky smile, he looked up. 

“He’s okay, I think.”

He breathed deeply. 

“He looks rough, and he’s having treatment, but it’s not as critical anymore.”

Seungyoun nodded, eyes slightly glassy. Hangyul took a deep breath and for the first time today it felt freeing. Then he quickly crossed the distance between him and Seungyoun, reached up and pulled the older down for a short kiss. 

It was only a second, but his hands stayed on the older’s face and he smiled, gently, warmly. 

“Thank you,” he said.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooof, who wrote this drama? Oh right, us. Welllllllll, anyways. What did you think happened? Or was it bad?
> 
> If anyone is interested, I wrote this chapter while listening to Ólafur Arnalds, hence the title name - he's an amazing composer so you might want to give him a listen? The main songs for this chapter were Saman - Ólafur Arnalds, and Horizons - Marika Takeuchi, so check them out if you like!
> 
> Let us know your thoughts and theories on this in the comments or message us on twitter (@chaos_kisses)


	30. I've Got a Riddle For You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ....I'm late. Whoops. Buuuuuuuut I bring this. As consolation. So please enjoy.

There was a weirdly tense atmosphere over the castle. Yunseong couldn’t quite place what it was, but he knew he wasn’t the only one who had noticed. Everyone seemed somehow careful and somewhat anxious. And there were no exams in sight. 

He wasn’t sure where it originated from. It was a feeling that seemed to reach deep inside of him. The teachers were all tense. They had tried to act like nothing was going on but he had definitely noticed some things, had picked up on some details. Bad vibrations.

Professor Yoojung looking sad and tired, Professor Ong’s eyes wandering over to his house table again and again as if making sure everyone was there, checking on them. Professor Sejeong and Chungha both looked almost haggard, their faces harder than usually and often whispering among themselves. Professors Kim Sohye and Ha Sungwoon discussing heatedly, but breaking off whenever a student got within hearing range. 

He got confirmation that something was brewing just days after: Classes for Care of Magical Creatures had been cancelled. There was no bad weather, and no previous notification that the teachers might have had some event to attend. Classes were just cancelled. 

Next came Quidditch. Professor Kang ordered that due to storm warnings training was to be conducted only with him present. Students were to gather in the entrance hall, got picked up and taken to the Quidditch field from there, only to be brought back later. Yunseong even checked on his computer during Muggle studies: There had been no storm warnings for Scotland. The sky was blue. 

Professor Sejeong took to picking her students up from the entrance hall as well. No one really talked about it, but less people went out onto the grounds. The tension grew and Yunseong heard whispers, rumors. Sightings of dark wizards, strange creatures, some kind of magical storm approaching. Theories were running wild. 

“What do you think this is all about?” he asked Donghyun one afternoon as they were sitting in one of the meeting rooms of the castle, both lazily tinkering one with some contraptions. They were working on their glitter bombs again - hoping that this time they wouldn’t just spout black smoke. 

Donghyun pursed his lips at his question, his eyes flickering towards the window for a second before he replied. The sun was shining surprisingly bright in the March afternoon and there was a breeze blowing. But outside was empty. It seemed almost threatening. 

“I don’t know,” he said slowly. “It’s either something outside there that is already close which is why they are keeping us inside.”

Yunseong nodded and Donghyun looked back at him. 

“Or something among the students that they need to keep under surveillance,” he continued. Yunseong stilled before he leaned forward. 

“You think it’s already inside?” he asked and Donghyun sighed. 

“I can’t tell,” he said. “It’s something dark. You feel it too, right? It’s like tension in the air, like it is charged with electricity.”

Yunseong nodded again. Donghyun was feeling it too after all. 

“Think about it,” the younger boy said. “The teachers are really tense. And sure, they employed the security strategies that have been used for outside threats as well. But if you turn it around…”

Yunseong leaned back in his seat. 

“If you turn it around,” he finished Donghyun's sentence, “they are keeping us contained. All in one place, more or less.” 

Donghyun nodded. 

“Do you think it’s a student?” he asked Yunseong and the older mulled the question over for a bit. 

“Possibly,” he replied. “It might be a student. It might be something in the school. Or it might be…”

He felt a shiver run over his back but he didn’t dare finish the sentence. 

“Yeah,” Donghyun said slowly, his eyes fixed on the stone wall behind Yunseong before they went back to his friend. “Something like that.”

They had talked about darkness before, both of them having a certain pull to the unusual and a bit darker at times. And there had been one time when they had talked about monsters. Not exactly different things that were categorised as monsters but concepts behind that. 

There was the direct ‘monster’. Looked like a monster and made you go ‘danger’. So far so good. Those were the least dangerous. You saw them, you knew, and if you were skilled, you could make it out. 

The really scary things were different. Things like ‘looks like something normal but it isn’t’. Something that has you fooled until it reveals itself. Shocking, more dangerous but still possible to fight. There were other pretty straight forward things. Something that looked like it used to be something different, but that was so wrong now. Inferni for example. 

But the scariest - and they had both agreed on that - was something that looked like something or someone. And you don’t really notice that anything is different. But there comes a point where you start seeing minimal differences only to keep ignoring them. And eventually you realise that what you see is so very wrong and far from everything you would consider normal. And seeing it like this from the beginning had made you realise, but now it’s too late. Because you only notice when it had nothing to hide anymore. And then you’re lost.  It’s like standing in the sand, looking up at the moon with occasional glances at the water, completely entranced by the sky above you - only to suddenly realise that the tides had come in. The moon had you transfixed, and the dark water pulled you under.

The sentence Yunseong hadn’t dared to finish had been ‘What if it looks like a student? What if it was a student, but also something else?’ But he didn’t dare speak it because the mere thought seemed to put more reality into it. And he knew that it was a possibility, considering the world they were living in. Magic itself wasn’t all fun and games, it was dangerous too. And so was the world around it. 

“Yun?” Donghyun said gently and the older almost flinched before he focussed his eyes on the younger. He seemed conflicted. 

“Maybe we’re all wrong about it,” he mused. “Maybe there is a storm - a literal one - brewing. Who knows?” 

Yunseong knew that the younger was trying to get his mind away from the panic he was able to instill in himself but for once he felt unwilling to just write it off like this. 

“I kind of feel reminded,” he started slowly, fingertips drawing circles on the table. “Reminded of what my dad told me. Of Hogwarts back then when the Basilisk attacks happened.” 

Donghyun stilled. 

“But the Basilisk is dead,” he said. “They confirmed it, back after the Battle of Hogwarts. And there were no eggs or something.”

Yunseong nodded. 

“I know,” he replied. “I’m not saying it’s back or something, it’s more about the mood.”

He looked at his hands before making eye contact with the other boy. 

“Dad was in sixth year back then, I think,” he explained. “He said it was scary. Really scary, everything so tense and no one knew what was going on. The attacks in Hogwarts, the supposedly safest place in Scotland?” 

Donghyun huffed out a breath. 

“He said it was as if the air was charged, and everyone was suspecting the Slytherins after these messages started. The teachers started employing safety measures too, and at some point no one was allowed to go anywhere alone or be out after a certain curfew.” 

Donghyun, tilted his head, not breaking eye contact. 

“They knew the danger was something within,” he stated and the Ravenclaw raised his eyebrow for a second. 

“We don’t,” the other continued. “But I have a feeling we’ll find out. If they start doing the same - then we’ll know.”

  
  
  


They got an answer - or at least a hint - earlier than expected. It was at breakfast two days later that the headmaster got up from his seat and the students quieted down. Professor Lee Dongwook let his eyes wander over the gathered students in the Great Hall, his eyes piercing and expression serious. 

“I am sure all of you have noticed,” he started and his voice echoed in the silent hall, “that something is happening. You noticed the new regulations on Quidditch, of lessons being cancelled, of students being accompanied outside.”

Murmur started up in the hall but ebbed away as the headmaster raised his hand. 

“I know there are rumours going around,” he said. “I have been contacted by the ministry today and you are now privy to some information on everything.”

A quiet hum started in the Great Hall again, a whisper that stayed quiet enough in volume. But it spoke lengths of the tension that had taken over the castle. The electricity in the air seemed to crackle. 

“I am not allowed to say any names or affiliations,” Professor Lee spoke, “however, we have to inform you that there have been sightings of a dangerous individual in the Scottish highlands. It has  _ not _ been confirmed that their destination is Hogwarts, nor can be said that the individual won’t come here. We have been advised to proceed with caution.”

He looked over the hall, and it seemed to Yunseong as if he was scanning every single face in the Great Hall. The boy glanced over to the Hufflepuff table and met the eyes of his best friend. Donghyun looked conflicted. Not scared, exactly, but unsure. Yunseong was sure that at least to his friend’s eyes he was probably mirroring the same expression. 

“We will keep the current regulations in place,” headmaster Lee continued his speech. “Classes under Professors Yoon and Im will take up again but with restrictions and inside the castle until the situation is more clear.”

The whispers grew in volume as the student body seemed to process the development of the situation. 

“You are not prohibited from going on castle grounds,” the headmaster spoke and again the whispers ebbed away. “We do advise you though to carefully consider where you’re going. And we ask that you do not wander off far from the castle, and especially avoid the Forbidden Forest.”

The Forest was off limits to begin with but whatever seemed to be approaching the castle would probably use the Forest as cover. There were already many dangers lurking between these trees if one didn’t know how and where to tread in it, but now the risk was definitely growing. 

“You shouldn’t panic, in any case,” Professor Lee concluded. “We are doing our best to keep you safe, and the ministry is doing their best to dissolve this situation. So please: be cautious, but do not panic.” 

He sat back down, but the silence that he left behind stayed for a few more seconds until students started talking again. This time the chatter grew to normal volume again, but Yunseong noticed that some faces seemed more pale than usual. That the atmosphere seemed subdued. And when he scanned the teacher’s table he noticed that once again, Professors Yoon and Im were missing. He hadn’t seen them the entire week. 

Despite everything, he tried to focus on everything else instead. School wasn’t stopping because of this and as he hadn’t chosen Care of Magical creatures for his N.E.W.T.s he hadn’t had any lessons cancelled. He threw himself into his work more, working late with his classmates and friends when he wasn’t spending time with Yena. 

They had grown even closer over the past few months. Yunseong liked her cheerful and smart character, the way she was teasing him so effortlessly and just acted natural around him. Back then at the Yule Ball he had flirted with her, and she with him. They still did, but it had taken on a different nature. They had become so comfortable with each other, and they had decided to get to know each other first before diving into anything so they were taking it slow. 

Yunseong had to admit he was glad they did. He was attracted to Yena, he could admit that effortlessly. But there was still something that held him back from asking her to be more. They had gone on some dates (Had they been dates? Neither of them had called them dates, but it had felt like they had been), and they kept spending time. And Yunseong was happy with that. He really was. 

He had talked to Yena about what she thought of the whole situation right now. 

She had shrugged. 

“Maybe an escaped convict?” she said. “But then they would have given out a name already. Maybe it’s something secret, or maybe even something like a secret operation. Does a magic ministry do things like that?” 

Yunseong had carefully considered her words and felt himself agree. 

“You mean like planning and executing military strategies and tactics?” he had asked for clarification and the girl had nodded. 

“My dad used to be part of the marines,” she explained. “Sometimes they would have practise maneuvers where they went all out to simulate the real situation. And everything had to be closed off, so no civilian got hurt. Once they simulated a port siege from sea and had to close off the port and half of the town for it. The air was kind of similar?”

“What do you mean?” he asked and she leaned her chin on her hands as she let her eyes wander over the library shelves around them. 

“The anxiety in the air,” she explained. “Everyone knew it was a practise maneuver, nothing else. They even showed snippets of it on the news later on, I saw my dad on TV for a second, but... “

She sighed. 

“I don’t really know. Despite everyone being aware I guess people realised that this practise round could one day be reality. And that if that happened, they wouldn’t have a chance as civilians if the siege party was to go in there and take over by force.” 

Yunseong hummed and placed his hands on the table as he mulled over her words. It was like a reality check that there were threats. And they didn’t have anything even remotely threatening close to school in over two decades. 

“So you think that it might be some kind of maneuver?” he asked more to himself. “Do you think that…”

He trailed off as he tried to put his thoughts into order. Yena looked at him, patient and expectant. 

“Do you think it’s possible that even if there is nothing, or it’s not so dangerous, that after all this time everyone is just subconsciously panicking over this? And that’s why everyone is so tense?” 

Yena tilted her head and for a second Yunseong felt reminded of Donghyun when he was thinking over a question. 

“It’s an option,” she said. “But we won’t be able to answer this.” 

Yunseong hummed. 

“It bugs me,” he admitted. “I feel like there’s more behind it but at the same time I find myself trying to reign in my theories and try to stick to the facts.”

The girl nodded. 

“It’s so easy to panic,” she admitted quietly. “And the mind can be a scary place. Especially if there is something lurking and you can’t really look past the darkness.” 

Her voice was soft and gentle, but YUnseong felt himself lulled in by it as his eyes wandered from the shelves to the window. It was already dark outside and the library was reflecting in the glass, flickering from the light of candles and torches. Shadows seemed to move behind the glass as his eyes played tricks on him, but combined with Yena’s soft voice it was as if he was being pulled into a trance. The shadows seemed to deepen, to become more visible and he almost squinted his eyes trying to make out the shape- 

Deft fingers poked into his sides and he jumped, promptly banging his right knee against the table. His heart pounded from the shock and his eyes flew back to the girl next to him. Her eyes were wide with surprise but a smile was painted onto her features as she reached out. 

“Ouch,” he said intelligently and Yena snorted. 

“I’m sorry,” she giggled. “I couldn’t resist, you were completely zoned out and- sorry you hurt your knee though.” 

He shook his head with a smile and reached down to rub his knee. 

“I should be used to it by now,” he commented. “Donghyun loves doing that to me all the time.”

Yena nodded with a faux-serious expression. 

“And he has every right to do so if you zone out on him as you do on me!”

She turned to the table with an exaggerated ‘hmpf’ while Yunseong chuckled and nudged her until she looked back. 

“Repeat what you were saying?” he asked with a small smile that she returned after a second before launching back into her retelling of a rather chaotic lesson of Charms, including one explosion and a dancing clock. Yunseong smiled gently. He enjoyed this. 

  
  


The week passed slowly, but not slow enough for him to really have enough time and finish everything he needed to do while still having a life. Either that or he was just unconcentrated. Everyone else was tense too, but it felt to Yunseong as if the air in itself was prickling a bit, as if it was becoming palpable. But when he voiced that thought to Yena, she just shrugged. 

“Maybe your magic senses are more fine-tuned than mine,” she had commented. “I don’t feel anything.” 

He had almost snorted, but held himself back at the last moment. Yena hadn’t been joking: she didn’t really know his magic powers, she didn’t know he struggled with executing a lot of magic properly. Her words hadn’t been a quip - they had been completely serious. So he had shrugged in return. 

But the feeling stayed. He wasn’t sure what exactly it was and had pondered for a day if it was only him - until the penny dropped. There was exactly one person that if push came to shove thought exactly like him, and perceived things the same way. 

So he went to Donghyun. 

“It’s like electricity,” he said without preamble as he sat down in front of the younger. The Hufflepuff house table was pretty empty - it was a free lesson after all. Tony looked up at his words, but Donghyun continued writing. 

“That’s what I’ve been saying,” he commented and Yunseong grinned triumphantly. 

“You too?” he asked and Tony sighed. 

“Don’t get him started,” the American said, “I still don’t get what he means.”

Donghyun threw his quill onto the table, only to scramble when some leftover ink splashed onto his book. 

“Shit, shit, shit,” he mumbled while he dabbed at the ink with the sleeve of his robe. 

“But yeah, it’s like a force field or something.” 

Yunseong tilted his head at the metaphor. 

“Do you think the magic barriers have been compromised or damaged?” he asked and Donghyun furrowed his brows. 

“I hope not,” he said. “It would explain why everyone is so tense when it comes to going outside. But-”

“Can they be compromised?” Tony interjected. “I mean, yeah, every magic can at some point but aren’t there too many layers?”

Yunseong pursed his lips. 

“Not sure really,” he replied. “It would depend on the magic, the damage dealt - maybe it’s something that has been eating away at it for a while but they just noticed.” 

Donghyun raised his eyebrow. 

“Like magical martens?” he asked dryly and all three boys snorted. 

“The lack of concrete info is really weird,” Tony said when their laughs turned into more quiet giggles. “It’s like despite headmaster Lee’s announcement today, we know nothing.” 

“Classified info?” Donghyun suggested. Yunseong nodded. 

“Yena said it might be something like maneuver training - like military stuff,” he entered the thought. Donghyun frowned. 

“Close to the school?” he asked and Tony tilted his head. 

“Hogwarts isn’t just some school after all,” he argued. But the other didn’t seem convinced. Yunseong shrugged. 

“I got no clue,” he admitted. “It’s strange but- let’s just hope it passes without anyone getting hurt.” 

Donghyun looked up and this time there was apprehension on his face. 

“What do you mean, getting hurt? Do you think it might actually come to that?” he asked and Yunseong slapped himself mentally. He should’ve thought about his words. 

“Really no idea,” he said. “Maybe I’m just being gloomy.”

He tilted his head and studied the younger: raised eyebrows, wide eyes, completely stilled. Yunseong leaned forward. 

“Did something happen?” he asked quietly and Donghyun hesitated for a second before he exchanged a quick look with Tony. 

“Not exactly,” Tony answered instead. “It’s just - you know how everyone’s so tense?” 

Yunseong nodded. 

“We’ve noticed a few people - prefects, mainly - that seem to be affected more. Maybe as if they know something?”

“What do you mean?” Yunseong asked, surprised by the sudden revelation. Donghyun shrugged before he spoke. 

“Mingyu seems incredibly jittery lately,” he explained. “I mean he usually is a bundle of nerves already-” 

Tony slapped his upper arm with a disapproving frown and Donghyun held up his hands in defence. 

“I don’t mean it in a bad way,” he claimed. “But he  _ is _ not the most imposing type and he gets nervous - and lately it seems worse, I think. He’s more drawn into himself, he looks sad and like there is something weighing him down.” 

Yunseong furrowed his eyebrows in thought. 

“And Seungwoo hyung-,” Donghyun started and Yunseong looked up, interest even more piqued. 

"He's kind off the same - and you know how calm he usually is. But lately he seems nervous, and he's looking out for Hyeongjun a lot. At this point I think Wonjin is starting to get jealous."

"Hyeongjun?" Yunseong asked. "Did something happen?" 

Donghyun, however, shook his head. 

"Not that I know off," he replied, "but that doesn't have to mean anything. He just looked a bit tired to me." 

“Hyung seemed worried to me too,” Tony added. “I don’t really know what it is, maybe he’s stressed and something came up, but there’s something.”

Yunseong nodded, deep in thought. 

“Sounds unusual,” he admitted. 

“We have to consider overanalyzing though,” Donghyun added. “We’re all kind of on edge after all.” 

Yunseong hummed in agreement before he stretched his arms over his head with a groan. 

“This is giving me a headache,” he concluded in a whine. 

And with that he got up and excused himself to class. Potions class was far away, after all, so it didn’t seem weird to leave early. He followed the corridors down to the dungeons until he reached the classroom, still almost 20 minutes early. He leaned against the wall and finally allowed the thought he had been repressing to enter his mind. 

There was something he hadn’t told anyone. He didn’t feel like it had been his place, and nothing of the likes had happened again. It was about a week ago now, but he couldn’t get the image out of his head. He had originally attempted to sneak out that night -midnight cravings were a thing, thank you very much- and he had gotten up late when he was sure that no one was awake anymore. But as he had tiptoed down the stairs and turned the bend, he had almost stumbled. 

There had been someone. Two people. Familiar people. Jinhyuk and Wooseok. 

But the scene had created an uneasy feeling in his stomach. Jinhyuk was hugging the smaller Ravenclaw, while Wooseok was shaking like a leaf. Yunseong had frozen there, completely immovable as he watched.

“What happened?” Jinhyuk had murmured at some point, almost too quiet to hear. Yunseong had strained his hearing to understand. Wooseok had stayed quiet for almost a minute and Yunseong was ready to tiptoe back up to the dorms when he had heard him reply. 

“I don’t know,” he had said. “I don’t know what happened. But it’s bad. And I couldn’t help.”

And Yunseong had turned around and went back up, unseen and unheard while his mind was whirling. It still was. And here he stood and let the memory replay. He was almost sure that what Wooseok had said had to do with whatever was going on. He had never seen the older that shaken before, but when he had tried to gather hints the next day he hadn’t noticed anything out of the ordinary. He had even kept his eyes on the older boy for a while, but Wooseok seemed to bounce back to his usual state quickly. 

So there had been no more answers. Yunseong groaned and leaned his head against the wall. 

“Think,” he mumbled. “There must be something!”

Why was he even so obsessed with this? Because he had a feeling? He had many feelings, most of the time hunger, so why was he focussed on this? Was it natural curiosity? Or was he just looking for something outside of school? Maybe he was focussed on too many things; he felt like he was staring at the moon as it was growing in size - and if he did that, he would miss the rising tides. Maybe he should just ignore it for a bit. 

He shook his head and let out a breath. 

“I shouldn’t worry too much,” he told himself sternly. 

“That’s the right mindset,” a gentle voice said beside him and he almost jumped in the air. He hadn’t even heard Professor Kim Sohye walk up to him, but there she was, smiling kindly and levitating a heavy tray with twitching green plants beside her. 

“Hello, professor,” he gasped out.

“Come on in already, it’s always so cold out here,” she told Yunseong and headed for her classroom, the door opening by itself when she came closer. He followed her in and headed for his usual seat with Jungmo, already pulling another chair for Minhee with him when he remembered that the two were separated again. When he turned back to the front he saw Professor Kim levitate the tray of plants over to the shelf in the corner. Curiously he stepped closer. 

“What are those?” he asked and the teacher looked at him with surprise before smiling. 

“I assume you are not taking herbology N.E.W.T.s?” she asked and Yunseong shook his head. 

“Then you haven’t seen those in their original form for a while. They are fresh mandrakes.”

The shivering leaves, the thick root that was barely visible above ground - if pulled out they would scream horribly, enough to make a person faint. Their various magical and medical properties made them important ingredients for many potions.  He nodded. 

“Are we working with them today?” he asked, but Professor Kim shook her head. 

“They are for a project of mine that is coming up,” she explained. “It’s possible I will need large amounts of mandrakes soon, so I already brought some here to be prepared.”

Made sense. Yunseong returned to his seat and started pulling out books when the first of his classmates came trickling in. He greeted Jungmo with a smile when the other sat down. 

“Alone today?” he asked with a grin and Jungmo sighed. 

“I almost ended up in a fifth year class today, because I forgot I didn’t have to go there,” he replied. Yunseong snorted. 

“You really got attached,” he said off-handedly and glanced at Jungmo, expectant of the other’s reaction. The boy remained quiet, but he could see the light blush rising on his cheeks and a glint in his eyes. 

“Maybe,” Jungmo admitted. Yunseong decided to drop it for now and started ranting over some new homework, which Jungmo gladly joined in on until the bell rang and class started. 

His day progressed normally like this and each time Yunseong forced the weird feeling down in favour of concentrating on normalcy. He ended up deciding that he couldn’t concentrate and headed for the library after blankly staring at an empty sheet of parchment for ten minutes and blaming it on the voices in the Common Room. 

As he went through the rows of shelves in search of a more hidden corner he stopped when he reached the row between potions and practical charms. A table was wedged in between the two rows and Yena was sitting at it, deep in thought and no book in sight. Yunseong studied her, unsure if he should disturb her or not. 

The decision was made for him when the girl looked up. A small smile appeared on her face, but it didn’t reach her eyes. 

“Yunseong,” she said and he waved at her. She gestured at the seat opposite of her and he went over, sitting down before he looked at her face again. 

“You coming here makes my decision more easy,” she said without explanation and he couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. 

“Am I in trouble?” he asked warily and Yena snorted. 

“Not exactly,” she said. “Maybe I’m in trouble if I’m completely wrong about this but-”

She pursed her lips. Yunseong folded his hands and placed them on the table, slightly leaned forward to show he was listening. 

“I wanted to talk to you about something,” she said and hesitantly reached out, the fingers of her hand twitching for a moment before she placed it on Yunseong’s folded ones.

“I’ve been thinking a lot and-” 

Quick steps down approached and suddenly Donghyun stumbled pass the shelf, panting slightly. 

“Yun,” he said. “You won’t believe this but-”

“Donghyun,” Yunseong interrupted his friend quietly, but with determination. “Not now.” 

He saw Donghyun’s face turn to surprise and his eyes dart towards Yena, their hands on the table and then Yunseong’s expression. His face fell. 

“Sorry,” he muttered and turned around, heading back down the row of shelves. Yunseong looked back at Yena, meeting her eyes. 

“Sorry,” he echoed Donghyun but she shook her head. 

“It’s fine,” she said. She took a deep breath. 

“I’ve been thinking,” she started again, “about this. Us. And I really like our friendship. It’s fun and I feel comfortable, it’s just easy and…”

She glanced down at their hands and then back up. 

“And I really like you, Yunseong. As more. I really grew to like you so much.” 

Her smile wavered a bit. Yunseong’s heart was pounding but there was a slightly bitter taste at the back of his mouth. 

“I know you don’t like me”, Yena stated. “At least not the same way.” 

Yunseong wanted to protest, to tell her she was wrong, but he had no words. He didn’t know what to say. Yena studied him. 

“Sometimes I think you really do, and then again I’m sure I’m wrong about it - it’s like waves, like it’s waxing and waning. And the more I thought about it, the more I think that there’s something holding you back ,” she said. “Some kind of emotion, for someone. Maybe you don’t even notice - but I do.” 

Her thumb was gently moving over the skin of his hand. 

“I’m not holding it against you,” she assured him. “But I don’t think as long as we- as you don’t have that figured out, it’s not a good idea to let this become more.” 

“Yena, I-” Yunseong started but his voice cracked and no more words came. He had nothing to tell her, he was barely understanding what she was talking about but a small voice in his head was whispering that maybe she was right. He hadn’t felt ready to have this become more. 

Yena looked at him, her hair in a ponytail and small earrings shaped like leaves in her earlobes. Her smile was gone, but she didn’t look mad. More like she knew what was up- knew the things Yunseong was still trying to understand. 

“I want us to be friends, before anything else,” Yena said. Yunseong nodded dumbly. 

“We are friends,” he said clearly. “I don’t really get what you mean with me having feelings for someone, but I’ll figure it out.” 

“Are you mad at me?” Yena asked in a small voice and his head snapped up. Yunseong unclasped his hands and caught her hand in his before she could pull it back. 

“No,” he insisted. “No, no, no, I’m not mad or anything. I respect your decision, and I’ll have to try and understand, but like you said: before anything else, we’re friends.”

He looked into her eyes, trying to convey his sincerity. 

“I treasure that, and I really like our dynamic - that’s important to me too.” 

Yena let out a breath and smile returned to her face, but her eyes seemed watery. 

“I’m glad,” she whispered, sounding almost choked up. Then she slowly pulled her hand from his. 

“I just,” she continued. “I think I need a second. I’m- I’ll just-” 

She gestured towards the entrance of the library and Yunseong understood. He nodded. 

“I’m sorry,” he said as she stood up. And he really meant it. He had never wanted to make her cry, even if this was her decision. But Yena shook her head. 

“Don’t be,” she replied. “It’s not like you did it on purpose.” 

Then she turned around and headed off. 

Yunseong leaned his head into his hands and sighed. 

He was feeling gloomy again the next day, along with a pressure to his head, like a growing headache. He decided to ignore it for now and just head to class - he was almost late after all. But it was hard to concentrate on anything and the pounding in his head was growing slowly. 

At lunch he had barely sat down, when Donghyun popped up next to him. 

“Yun,” he whispered excitedly, “listen. I think we need to talk to our friends.”

He put emphasis on the last word and Yunseong immediately understood - but his eyes widened. 

“Are you crazy?” he whispered, grabbing the younger’s sleeve and looking around them. But no one seemed to be listening in. He looked back and almost flinched at the glint in Donghyun’s eyes. It was almost scary. 

“Something is going on,” the younger stated and Yunseong could barely hold himself back from rolling his eyes. 

“I thought we established that already?” he said sarcastically but Donghyun shook his head. 

“No,” he said insistently. “Something is happening right now. I noticed some things. I was outside yesterday, close to the lake and-” 

“Alone?” Yunseong asked and Donghyun nodded. 

“Yes, doesn’t matter, I run fast. Anyways, I was looking at the forest and suddenly what do I see?” 

“A tree?” Yunseong asked and Donghyun snorted. 

“That too. And an acromantula.” 

Yunseong startled. 

“What?” he asked disbelievingly. Donghyun nodded, eyes wide and glinting. 

“A real one. It was fast, it came running out, and just a moment later, a second.”

“You saw two acromantulas?” Yunseong asked for clarification. “Were they hunting?” 

Donghyun shook his head. 

“Didn’t look like it,” he said. “More frantic. Like they were fleeing.” 

“Acromantulas don’t flee,” Yunseong argued and Donghyun nodded, grabbing the older’s hand. 

“Exactly!” he said. “Something was going on. Also, when I had Astronomy today, we went up on the tower because the moon was visible during the day, bla bla, and I took my telescope and looked over the forest.”

Donghyun glanced around them again. 

“And what was with the Forest?” Yunseong asked exasperatedly. His headache was really not helping and something about Donghyun’s behaviour was stressing him out. But he couldn’t quite place it. 

“Nothing,” Donghyun revealed. “But I saw some people on broomsticks, back in the mountains behind it.” 

“You probably saw birds,” Yunseong said and rubbed his temple. 

“But Yun,” Donghyun whined. “Why would anyone fly there?” 

“No one would,” the older replied, exasperated. “That’s the point.” 

“And why were the acromantulas fleeing?” 

“Because- whatever. Maybe they were driven away. Did you think about that?” 

Donghyun sat up, his excitement receding. 

“Does that happen?” he asked and his voice sounded deeper, now that the initial joy over his findings was gone. Yunseong saw that he was disappointed at his reaction but his head was pounding too much. 

“I don’t know,” he sighed. “Check first, before you do anything.” 

“I’ll talk to them-”

“Are you nuts?” 

Yunseong pulled the younger closer. 

“Even if it’s nothing unusual, there are two grown acromantulas on school grounds. Don't.”

“Then come with me.”

It was voiced like a demand, but sounded like pleading. Like Donghyun was trying to make sure that Yunseong still cared. But the older could only sigh. 

“Give it a few days,” he said, trying to sound diplomatic. “See if anything else happens, and then it might be safer. I’ll come then.”

Donghyun fixed him in a stare but he could practically feel the disappointment radiate from the younger before he got up and stalked back over to his table. Yunseong turned back with a sigh. His appetite was gone. 

“Everything okay?” Wooseok asked from opposite of him and Yunseong grimaced. 

“Just peachy,” he commented dryly and let his head drop down on the table. 

Donghyun didn’t speak to him for the rest of the day. He approached the younger a few times, but he always turned away or walked off. Yunseong decided he needed to blow off steam before he was approachable again and went back to the library after class. While walking down the shelves he found another familiar face: Seungwoo. 

With a sigh he dropped into the seat next to the older and leaned his forehead against his shoulder. The pounding in his head hadn’t stopped. 

“I’m an idiot,” he stated. It hadn’t even taken ten minutes for him to feel sorry about the way he had acted with Donghyun, but as the younger refused to talk to him, he hadn’t apologised yet. Seungwoo chuckled. 

“Want to talk about it?” he offered, but Yunseong shook his head. 

“I’ll just wallow in my misery,” he sighed, “and then go apologise.” 

Seungwoo hummed and continued reading. After a few minutes Yunseong sat back straight and glanced at the pages, showing something with a large head that looked like a stone. 

“What the hell?” he mumbled and leaned closer. Seungwoo snorted. 

“That’s a pogrebin,” he explained. “It’s a kind of demon, from russia. It makes you feel lethargy and desperate before it eats you.” 

“Sounds like me today,” Yunseong commented dryly and Seungwoo chuckled. 

“The demon or the victim?” he asked. “Because I can see a certain resemblance…”

He held the book next to Yunseong’s face as if comparing them and the Ravenclaw rolled his eyes. 

“No way,” he replied but Seungwoo shook his head. 

“Yes! You are just as much of a rockhead as this little guy.” 

“Hyung!”

Seungwoo broke into giggles at Yunseong’s aghast expression and their squabbling had Mrs Bae corner them and threaten to throw them out if they didn’t quiet. It took some profuse apologising until the scary woman left them again, but not without another glare. 

Yunseong turned to Seungwoo, who was closing his book and gathering his things. 

“You leaving already?” he asked and the older nodded. 

“I just needed to read up, so I’m gonna hand this back and go. I need a nap.”

Yunseong nodded in agreement but grabbed the book. 

“I’ll take it back,” he offered. I still got some stuff to do, and I need some books anyway.”

Seungwoo looked up at him. 

“It’s from the restricted section though,” he said. “So just hand to Mrs Bae.”

Yunseong nodded. 

“Sure thing,” he replied with a grin and followed the older a few steps down until he reached the path leading to the restricted section and went down that path. When he reached the red band that separated this part of the library from the rest, Mrs Bae wasn’t there, though. Yunseong looked around a few shelves but no one came. 

He scanned the back of the book and shrugged. He just wanted to put it back, he didn’t even feel the drive to get restricted books today. So with another glance and seeing no one closeby, he hopped over the rope and headed down the rows of shelves. From his few times here, he remembered the section on magical creatures to be somewhere at the back but when he reached there and scanned the titles he sighed. 

Someone - Mrs Bae - had rearranged the shelves. There were runes here. The pounding in his head seemed to increase and he sat down on the single stool that stood next to the shelf. He looked down at the book as he tried to think of what else the magical creatures section could be to avoid searching when his eyes caught sight of a picture. He had been playing with the book and had opened it to a random page - and now a strange looking creature was glaring at him from the page. Chizpurfle, it said next to it. A strange crab-like creature. 

Yunseong chuckled and slid down from the stool to sit on the floor, his back leaned against the shelf more comfortably. He could sit here and read for just a few minutes without getting caught. He decided and turned the page to hippogryphs. Maybe learn a thing or too.

  
  


Voices. 

That’s what woke him. 

Voices close to him. Maybe a row or two away. 

“-gotta move fast,” someone said. He tried to place the voice as sleep still clung to him. The book was still open in his lap, opened to the last creature he remembered reading about. He must have nodded off.

“-can’t be here already!” another voice said and this time he recognised it. Professor Yoon. So the other had probably been Professor Im. 

“We got more info,” another voice chimed in and this time Yunseong had to stop himself from flinching. Headmaster Lee. 

“They finally decided to tell us more-” 

“How bad?” Professor Yoon interrupted. 

“Bad.”

The simple reply had the hair at the back of his neck stand up and a shiver ran through him. 

“Ben Macdui. Eggs gone, two dead. The Ministry wanted to avoid panic.”

“Oh Merlin,” Professor Im gasped. 

“Nayoung,” Professor Yoon said darkly. “It's a new moon.” 

“We’ve got to be prepared,” Headmaster Lee said urgently. “Now. We have to barricade everything, I want everyone inside.” 

Hurried steps sounded, but they went away from where Yunseong was sitting, apparently leaving the library. When he was sure he was alone again, he let out a breath and glanced at his watch, wincing. 10PM. He had slept almost two hours. The headache was still there. Shakily, he got to his feet, placing the book on the stool and slowly heading towards the exit. Again, no one was there. 

While he made his way towards his table where he had left his bag, he tried to make sense of everything. 

People were dead. Something was approaching. It was a new moon. 

Nothing made sense and the world seemed to tilt on his axis. The pressure seemed to come from everything around him and he leaned against a bookshelf, breathing deeply. 

“Yunseong?” it said beside him and he opened his eyes. Eunbi was standing next to him, worried. 

“Are you okay?” she asked and he nodded, almost stumbling when his head spun.

“Just a headache,” he said weakly. “I’ll head back home.” 

Eunbi nodded. 

“Should I go with you?” she offered, but Yunseong waved it off. 

“I’ll be fine,” he said when he remembered something. 

“Do you know by any chance,” he started and Eunbi looked at him expectantly. 

“Do you know what Ben Macdui is?” he got out and Eunbi bit her lip as she thought about it. 

“It’s a national park,” she replied. “Here in the highlands. Though some parts are off limits - for civilians at least.”

He startled. 

“Off limits?” he questioned and the head girl nodded. 

“There’s a research station up there,” she explained. “Some Hebridian Blacks nested and they’re observing and protecting them.”

“Ah,” Yunseong said before he nodded in thanks. Eunbi waved at him and went further down the aisles. With a sigh, Yunseong pushed himself off the shelf and headed towards his table, thoughts still whirring. 

Hebridian Blacks. He had heard that before. On top of a mountain, protected. Off limits. He tried to make sense. What else did he have? Research. Eggs. 

He came to stop, eyes widening as the puzzle pieces fell into place. 

Hebridean Blacks were one of the two native British dragon species. Their eggs were gone. Something was approaching, something bad. Something dark. Two people were dead. Spiders. People on broomsticks in the mountains were no one should be - if they weren’t looking for something. The tense atmosphere. 

The mandrakes. A project. Large amounts. 

New moon. The perfect hunting time because it was the darkest night and the prey wouldn’t see. 

Barricade everything. So nothing could come in. 

‘I think we need to talk to our friends.’

They usually went to see them at night. New Moon, because you wouldn’t be seen out on the grounds. 

The pressure. The pull. The weird glint in his friend's eyes. That feeling of dread. 

He hadn’t imagined. He knew that feeling, he just hadn’t recognised it. But now he remembered. Darkness pulled in Darkness. And from it, chaos was born. 

He turned around and ran.

Donghyun. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ....please don't kill me for the cliffhanger. Welp, this was dark and let's see where this goes next week. Did you like it though? What are your theories? Let us know in the comments and on twitter @chaos_kisses


	31. Can't We just Leave the Monster Alone?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ....yes, i used a TXT song as title. But in my defence, I love that song and it's too late to think of something better. Aaaaaand we're late again. But we bring part two of the previous chaos. Finally - took me long enough to finish it. Enjoy!!

Somehow, he made it through the castle and onto the grounds unseen. His heart was pounding, his breath came in irregular bursts, and his head felt like it was exploding. The world was tilting on its axis again and again but he kept on running. 

He didn’t even duck as he sprinted over the castle grounds. 

‘Why didn’t you get help?’ a voice in his head asked. He ignored it. Maybe someone even saw him and would come after him. But he couldn’t wait. Donghyun was out there, he knew it. Panting, he sprinted into the forest, not slowing as his feet went from grass to the earthy ground littered with needles from the trees. He sprinted down the familiar little path, not slowing or hesitating at the bends and intersections. 

When he couldn’t run anymore, he slowed to a jog but panic was taking over his heart. He scanned the woods but it didn’t help. The shadows seemed to move, no moonlight coming through. He stumbled and almost fell over a protruding root and a gasp, almost a sob broke from his mouth. He pressed a hand over it to muffle the sound and hurried on.

Rustling in front of him had him stop dead in his tracks. He listened. Steps. Normal, regular. Close to human. He moved quietly past a thicket and let out a breath when he saw the person walking down the path. He hurried up and placed a hand on their shoulder, just as they turned around. 

“Hyun,” he gasped out in a whisper and saw Donghyun flinch before he recognised the older. Then a grin lit up his face. 

“You came!” he said and Yunseong shushed him, pressing a finger to his lips. 

“We need to get out of here,” he whispered, his throat tight. “It’s coming.” 

“Yun, what-”

“We’re in danger, just come with me,” Yunseong pleaded and grabbed Donghyun’s arms. But the younger dug his heels in. 

“What’s going on with you?” he asked, voice dark. “Yun, talk to me.” 

Yunseong almost sobbed again. The pressure grew even stronger. It was close. Closer than before. 

“The thing that’s coming,” he gasped out. “It’s not a human. It’s a cockatrice.” 

He could see the exact moment Donghyun realised he was completely serious. His eyes widened and he froze for a second. 

“The spiders,” he whispered. Then he pulled his arm from Yunseong’s grip and grabbed his hand. They ran. Stumbling and hardly coordinated, they followed the trail through the woods, Yunseong stumbling after the younger boy, exhausted and dizzy. The spinning got worse, the headache got worse. 

How he hadn’t recognised this draining feeling before was beyond him. But now that he did, it was so obvious. His vision blacked out for a second as he almost fell, only Donghyun’s grip keeping him upright. 

“It’s here,” he whispered. Then he grabbed the younger and pulled him into a large tree. It had once been two stems, but time had moulded them together, with an indentation big enough to squeeze both of them in and out of sight for a moment. 

Yunseong felt like laughing as his back hit the bark, body pressed against Donghyun. They couldn’t hide from this. They would die here. 

Their breaths sounded loud in the cramped space and Yunseong’s vision swam, blurring and blacking out constantly. Then they heard it. The steps. Heavy steps. Slower than human, and from the sound of it much larger. Coldness seemed to sweep over them and the wind rustled. Dead leaves drifted down from the trees. A small thump sounded beside them and Yunseong almost didn't dare look. But he opened his eyes. 

A small bird, a sparrow maybe, hardly recognisable in the dark. It was laying on the ground next to them, wings still stretched out. It had dropped dead in the middle of flight. Poor little bird, Yunseong said. You had the chance to get away. 

The steps grew louder and when he saw the reason for it, Yunseong wished he had closed his eyes. 

Out of the trees it stepped. Larger than a human, by much. It was more than twice their height. A birdlike body - if this could be a bird. The legs, the head, the feathers maybe. 

Yunseong felt reminded of dinosaurs suddenly. And dragons. Colourful feathers and scales, now grey in the dark of night. A twisting and strangely elongated tail, like a snake, flicking around. He was almost too scared to look up to the head, but something inside him urged him to do - and he relented. 

A bird’s head. A cock, to be exact. But a menacing curved beak sprang from it and eyes that were glowing in the dark. Glowing in a bright yellow. 

He closed his eyes. 

So he had been right. 

Cockatrice. He had read about them today. A form of the Basilisk, smaller and bread from a cock’s egg, hatched by a toad or snake. They had a habit of destroying dragon nests, eating their eggs and leaving their own eggs instead. 

Where they went, they brought death. Their breath was poisonous. Their eyes weren’t lethal, but they hypnotised. Their venom killed immediately and could eat through stone and metal. And they always brought more death. Nothing survived where they went. 

Hogwarts was under attack. By a single creature, but a creature with the ability to wipe them all out. 

‘We have to barricade everything.’

Yunseong felt a crazy laugh bubble up inside him, and he could barely suppress it. 

Of course. Cockatrice laid their eggs into dragon’s nests. Their hatchlings had to be able to disguise themselves when they hatched. 

They could shapeshift. If the cockatrice got into the castle, it would disguise itself. So no one would go out. No one even knew they were out. They were alone here. 

Fingers grabbed his hand and Yunseong opened his eyes. Donghyun was looking at him, his face filled with fear and his eyes wide. But his free hand was curled in his pocket. His wand pocket. Yunseong felt his blood grow cold. 

He shook his head, not breaking eye contact with Donghyun, but the younger nodded. Then he let go of Yunseong’s hand slowly and lifted his own, pointing at himself and then at the cockatrice. Yunseong shook his head again, more insistently, pleadingly, when Donghyun pointed at the older Ravenclaw and then at the ground. 

‘I’m going after it. You stay here.’

This wouldn’t work. Donghyun couldn’t take on a creature like this, on his own. And Yunseong couldn’t just let him go. They didn’t have the power to defeat this kind of creature. But Donghyun repeated his gestures. He had decided. 

Then he pulled out his wand and in one fluent movement stepped from their hiding place. Yunseong felt frozen, his eyes set on his best friend. The cockatrice still couldn’t see them, it had turned away from their spot, but it’s hearing and sense of smell could rival a dragon’s. And Donghyun was a mere human. 

The creature turned around, faster than seemed possible with how large it was, gleaming eyes darting around the clearing until it settled onto Donghyun who stood there, now completely visible. The boy scoffed. 

Then he turned and ran. 

The cockatrice took a slow step forward, a growl rising from its throat. A tongue, forked like a snake’s, darted out. The growl rose in volume, vibrating in Yunseong’s chest before it cut off. Then the beast moved, fast. The dragon-like wings were spread outwards for balance, but it was much faster than any dragon would be on foot. Donghyun had no chance of escaping, even with his few seconds of a head start. 

Yunseong was frozen into place. 

.oO°Oo.

He had to run, run as far as possible, get that thing as far away from Yunseong as he could. He had to give his friend the chance to flee. He knew he didn’t really have a feasible chance of getting away - or of even surviving for longer than a few minutes. But he had to at least try. 

When the growl broke off behind him he knew he was doomed. Panting, he broke through a thicket onto another clearing, trying to bring as much distance between himself and the cockatrice. But it was fast. 

With a hiss, the beast broke through the shrub, wings above it, beak wide open. Donghyun closed his eyes. That thing would pounce on him and rip him to shreds. His breath was caught in his throat and he didn’t even scream. But nothing came. 

He didn’t dare breathe. He could feel it move, could sense the vibrations from the heavy footsteps, heard the growl, the rustle of feathers. Then, it was silent. The wind went through the trees, and he could hear the leaves, probably dead by now, rustle. But there was nothing. 

A shiver took hold of his body and his teeth chattered. Any second now. But nothing happened. 

His eyes flew open, and he screamed, stumbling a step back, his hand curled around his wand but trembling so much. He lifted his wand, stuttering a weak  _ Confringo _ but it misfired into the trees from how hard he was shaking. He stilled, eyes still wide. 

The cockatrice was waiting. There was no other way to describe it. It was standing there, wings folded and eyes piercing. But it wasn’t attacking. Yet. It didn’t even flinch at the miscast spell, stance remaining. Slowly, it blinked and brought its head to Donghyun’s eye level. They were maybe three metres apart. 

The boy was completely frozen. This was even worse than he had expected. Was that thing playing with him? Would it leave him run away, only to catch him again, like a cat playing with a mouse? Or was he not even looking at reality anymore, had these yellow eyes already pulled him into a trance?

The cockatrice took a step forward and Donghyun stumbled back again, raising his wand again.

“Impedimenta!” he gasped out, but the spell held no power. The greenish light flickered out even before it reached the creature. The cockatrice stilled again, however, its tongue darting out, tasting the air. 

It’s tasting magic, Donghyun realised. The remnants of the spells, of the magic lingering in the air. Then it tilted its head. There was an intelligence and also malice in these glowing eyes that was just as intimidating as the creature itself. A hiss sounded over the clearing and Donghyun froze. 

So it had noticed that something was off. He drew in a shaky breath, his hands shaking so much he could barely hold his wand, or point it at the creature. Panic was flooding through him, fear, desperation. The cockatrice took another step forward, and another. Donghyun stepped back.

‘Then use it,’ a little voice inside him said. ‘Use it if you want to survive.’

He ignored it. He couldn’t. He couldn’t survive, he couldn’t save himself, or Yunseong. He wouldn’t be able to hold the creature here much longer and Yunseong had been weakened already. He had been stumbling, pale, his breath rattling. His fingers had felt clammy and cold, sweat had been beading on his forehead. He had looked ready to collapse. He wouldn’t be fast enough to get out of here, especially if Donghyun kept stalling with magic. 

He needed to keep the creature occupied somehow. His thoughts were racing but nothing came from it as he kept walking backwards, the creature approaching. 

His back hit a tree and he stopped breathing. One step, two steps. It was almost in front of him. The eyes were glowing with intent, almost manic and the tongue kept darting out. A deep dark growl had started sounding from its throat again. 

“Sectumsempra!”

The cry sounded from closeby and the spell hit, despite being weak. Instead of a deep gash, the cut was mostly shallow. But well aimed. The beast howled and stumbled a step back, pulling its head back as blood started pouring from its left eye.

Donghyun flinched and turned towards the noise, sucking in a breath as Yunseong came stumbling towards him. The boy looked like death warmed up, but his eyes were determined. 

“Run,” he panted and grabbed Donghyun. And the younger did. He grabbed his friend and darted in between the trees. Branches were whipping against his face as they ran and he pulled Yunseong along, at one point throwing an arm over his shoulders and pulling the older against his side to keep him upright. 

From up close his rattling breaths sounded even worse. 

“We need to slow it down,” the Ravenclaw panted. “We need to get back, slow it-” 

A screech sounded close to them and Donghyun threw himself to the ground on instinct, rolling so he was covering Yunseong. Dirt flew over them and a large branch crashed into the ground close to where they lay. 

“Incendio,” Yunseong panted, “Blind it!”

Donghyun scrambled to his knees, wand still clasped tightly and looked around as he tried to make out the beast. But the woods were too dark to see. Donghyun shook. It was preparing to pounce. 

“Shrub,” Yunseong gasped and Donghyun reacted immediately. 

“Incendio!” he called and the shrubbery burst into flames, the now dead branches catching on fire easily and spreading. Yunseong sucked in a breath like a wince. A howl sounded behind them just a second later and Donghyun jumped to his feet, pulling Yunseong with him. The older one was gasping painfully. 

“You holding up?” Donghyun spat out, his breath coming in painful bursts. They were stumbling through the trees. Yunseong groaned, but pushed on. There was screeching behind them again, and crashes as the beast broke through the thick woods. 

Yunseong suddenly pulled Donghyun over to a slope. Trees had spread their roots through the ground and over it, creating a tunnel system. Big enough for them to fit in at least. But there was no way they could get out of there fast enough. 

“Is that-”

“Get in!” Donghyun’s question was stopped before he had even finished it. Yunseong pushed him down and he slid in between the roots, moving forward immediately to make space for Yunseong. The older slid in behind him. Thick roots surrounded them, dirt clung to the bark and dead leaves and remains of acorns littered the ground. Donghyun didn’t even want to know the amount of critters in there, but the thought was pushed to the back of his mind when the screeching sound of the beast came again, close to where they were hiding.

He crawled on, deeper into the roots, where the layers above them where thicker and they couldn’t be spotted as easily. The tree that loomed over them was massive, hundreds of years old and its roots were extensive and large. An earthfall had probably caused part of the roots to be exposed like this, but they were just as thick and strong as before. And a hiding space. 

Donghyun stopped when his head hit a low root and he could feel a solid wall in front of him - the earth that was still covering the roots. Yunseong bumped into him from behind, crouched in a crawl. Carefully, Donghyun turned around with as few sounds as possible to look at his friend. There was hardly any light, but Yunseong’s pale skin still stood out starkly against the dark around them. They had just crawled away from where they had entered, feeling their way along. And now they were backed into a corner. 

Yunseong slumped down, almost curled into a ball, breath irregular and still terribly rattling. Donghyun inched closer, placing a hand on his friend’s shoulder and leaning down towards his face. 

“We need to get out of here,” he whispered. “If it gets through the roots, we’re sitting ducks.” 

Yunseong let out something that sounded almost like a chuckle, but his voice was barely above a whisper. 

“Do you think it will let us get out?” he asked. “We’re trapped, we can only defend and hope for help.” 

“But if we attack it-”

“If we attack it, we need to come out of hiding, and you know we can’t outrun it,” Yunseong said, voice rough. Donghyun bit his lip. They were stuck between a rock and a hard place - or, in this case, a monster and an inescapable tree trap. But there had to be a way. 

He gnawed on his lip, his thoughts racing. Outside it had turned quiet again but he knew that the Cockatrice wasn’t gone. It was waiting. It knew where they were. It tasted his magic, and it would go where it was strongest. If they could place a diversion-

His grip on Yunseong turned harder as the idea struck him and the older looked up, breathing a bit slower now, but Donghyun felt the tremors that racked his body repeatedly. Their eyes met, and Yunseong raised an eyebrow, urging the younger to speak. 

“It finds us by magic residue,” Donghyun whispered. “It tastes the air, like a snake, and its eyes are basically useless by now.”

Yunseong’s eyes widened. 

“No,” he protested, grabbing Donghyun’s hand, voice a whisper but insistent. “No, you won’t go and play the sacrifice again.” 

Donghyun shook his head. 

“Not sacrifice,” he countered. “Diversion. It’ll go for the stronger residue, and you can sneak up from behind.” 

Yunseong’s eyes widened. Donghyun could practically see the gears in his head moving as he continued the plan and pieced together their strategy. 

“We need to-” 

Another screech sounded above them and a tremor struck the tree, thundering through the earth. Wood cracked above them and Donghyun flinched violently, pulling Yunseong closer and looking up. His heart was beating in his chest wildly and he almost expected to see the creature loom just above them, only a layer of roots separating them - but they were too deep down. The creature knew they were here, but it couldn’t get in. Instead, it was trying to make them run from their hideout. 

“Talk about the privilege of hands with opposable thumbs,” Yunseong mumbled and Donghyun felt hysterical laughter bubble up in his throat. But the older was right. If this had been a Dragon with four taloned legs instead of a Cockatrice with two legs and wings - they would have been dead minutes ago. 

The roots shook again, and more dirt rained down on them. Yunseong crawled closer, their bodies pressed together and when he spoke, his voice was urgent. 

“When you get out, don’t use magic,” he whispered. “I’ll come up from behind, and we need to take out its senses. Remaining eye, hearing, smell - it’ll screech when I hit it, so that’s probably your only chance to get its tongue.” 

Donghyun nodded and stared at the older for a moment, unspoken words stuck in his throat. His fear seemed to grow - he didn’t want to die, but neither did he want to lose Yunseong. Their chances of getting out were small and this might be the last time- 

“I-” he started and Yuseong looked at him, eyes wide. But Donghyun decided against it. 

“Good plan,” he said. “See you there.”

Yunseong nodded and squeezed his hand once more before he retreated, crawling towards the tunnel they had come from. Then, he turned right, towards the side. He would come out at another point and then their plan would commence. With another deep breath, Donghyun followed him, but did not turn right. He kept on the path straight out, praying to everything that he could think of that their plan would work. 

The beast couldn’t have figured out their connection. So when the Yunseong came out at one side, and Donghyun at the other, the magical residue the latter would leave was stronger than Yunseong’s - but it would look like the same magic. And as magical residue vanished over time, a weaker residue would look - or taste, for a Cockatrice - like a diversion. Their magical residue was leaking out, clinging to them like an aura. Donghyun heard a rustle above him and froze. 

Seems like the beast had taken the bait. But if he crawled out of the roots now, it would be on top of him within seconds, and he would not have a chance to escape. He needed to buy time, but without magic, so Yunseong could attack. He glanced upwards and shivered. 

There was movement above. The beast really was looming over the exit hole, ready to pounce. He glanced around and a small smirk appeared on his face. There was a section that the beast had ripped through beside him, a tunnel in the roots leading there. Carefully he moved towards it, picking up a stone large enough to throw with impact on the way. He needed to move swiftly and quietly. 

He counted to three in his head before he jumped, essentially throwing himself over to the hole, scrambling to turn around just enough to throw the stone towards the beast and then crawl back. The cockatrice was onto him immediately, claws tearing through the outer layer of the roots, ripping on the edges of the hole as an ear-splitting screech filled the night. There was rage in it, clear as day, and Donghyun just scrambled backwards, towards his tunnel. 

Wood splinters and pieces were flying around him, and the cockatrice tore through the wood quickly, now that it had a starting point and sure position of its victim. Donghyun pressed himself against the wood, breaths coming in painful gasps and muscles frozen in fear. He had gotten it’s attention, but he could not do anything. The wood ripped directly above him and he let out a scream, immediately pressing his hand in front of his mouth and ducking further down. 

But the cockatrice had heard, and it ripped at the wood relentlessly, the beak tearing through just inches from his head and he scrambled back again, legs pushing against the rough ground. Panic was flooding his system, his heartbeat was pounding in his ears and with each breath whimpers were leaving his throat. He wanted to scream, but he kept his hand in front of his mouth - if he screamed and Yunseong acted rashly, they might bodge their only chance at escaping.

The roots right in front of him were torn away and the cockatrice head appeared, growls suddenly rising in volume. The remaining eye fixated on Donghyun, yellow and flowing. He whimpered at the sight, but before he could even think of reacting, a spell hit the eye, tearing into it - stronger than last time. The beast screeched and Donghyun scrambled forward, Yunseong’s voice in his head reciting the plan. 

He lifted his wand and pointed straight at the open beak. 

“Expulso,” he screamed hoarsely, aiming directly at the opened beak and the bright red beam flew from his wand. The sound that followed was sickening and quickly muffled by the screech of the cockatrice as it stumbled backwards, fluttering its wings and thrashing around. Donghyun scrambled out of the hole, ducking from the talons trying to tear through his shoulder and stumbled over the roots towards Yunseong who was slumped against a nearby tree. He could see Yunseong’s eye widen and flicker from Donghyun’s face to a point behind him - the only sign he needed. He threw himself to the side as quickly as he could. 

Claws dug into the wood where his head just been, followed by the beak hacking into whatever it could find, ear splitting screeches now close enough to make Donghyun feel dizzy and disoriented by it. He scrambled back, not even getting the chance to get back up. 

The sight was truly horrific. The fire earlier had burned many of the cockatrices feathers and against the dark night it looked even more disfigured. The wings were still mostly intact, and for the first time, Donghyun noticed the single talon on the joint of each - sharp and deadly. The head swung around, disoriented and blind, the eyes still there but with blood all over them, useless after their attacks. Blood was dripping from the beak from where the destroyed tongue was leaking blood after it had exploded - the only spell that would have dealt enough damage. Where the blood fell, small clouds of smoke rose from the venom of the cockatrice, burning through the wood beneath it. 

Donghyun scrambled back further as the beast looked around, disoriented and frantic. The boy’s eyes were flickering from the beast to the ground to the last spot he had seen his friend in. He knew he was obscured from view by the cockatrice in front of him, but he managed to glance around the thrashing creature. Across the small clearing, Yunseong was still leaning against the tree, slumped. This would be his only chance to escape.

“Run,” he screamed at his friend just as Yunseong pushed himself off the tree - but his blood ran cold when the older chose just that moment to scream his name. 

“Donghyun!”

There was so much panic and fear in his voice that Donghyun startled from the sound alone before the terror set in. Up until now, the cockatrice had completely ignored Yunseong’s presence, as if it wasn’t even sure that he wasn’t just a perpetual evasion tactic. With most of its senses gone, it had focussed fully on Donghyun, the stronger magical presence. But now, with hearing being its last means of orientation, it had heard. 

Yunseong had given his position away. And now the beast knew. Its head whipped around and it screeched again, immediately taking off in the other direction, stumbling over its own feet but fast nonetheless, heading straight for Yunseong who stumbled back, falling over his own two feet. Donghyun lurched forward, scrambling over his limbs as he tried to follow. His feet got stuck between the roots as he screamed, but the cockatrice was now set on Yunseong. 

Yunseong, who couldn’t defend himself anymore, who was barely standing at this point. 

Donghyun felt the heat grow in him, like a dark orb that was expanding more and more, filling him with a thrumming energy that and he stumbled forward again, his hand raised, clasping his wand as he spat out the word, channeling all he could muster up into the spell.

“Confringo!” 

The blue beam fired off, strong and bright - but laced with black. Donghyun felt his own eyes widen at the sight, but before he could move the spell hit the cockatrice.

The clearing was suddenly illuminated by flames as the creatures screeched again - this time in fear. The flames that suddenly engulfed it in a fiery explosion were bright red and flickering, but there was black in them, once more. Like fiendfyre, all consuming. The bright gleam blinded him for a second, but he kept stumbling forward, arm in front of his eyes as a wave of heat hit him. 

He blinked rapidly as soot and dirt was blown in the air from the force of the explosion and he fell to his knees once more, his foot stuck on the last of the roots. The fire wasn’t receding, the fire burning and Donghyun stumbled sideways, his eyes blindly scanning the clearing, barely seeing anything in the dark around them, until he found the spot Yunseong had last been in. 

Hoarsely, he screamed Yunseong’s name, tears streaming from his eyes - when had he started crying? There was a throbbing in his side, and his leg felt weird, but he kept stumbling forward. The spot was empty but a few feet away a figure was crumpled at the foot of a tree, completely still. 

A wave of cold swept over Donghyun again, and another screech, weaker this time sounded - or was it just farther away? The world was spinning, the heat around making him dizzy, his breathing irregular - there wasn’t enough oxygen, his brain supplied. He needed to breath more, stop this, get out, get Yunseong-

The world turned dark around him. 

  
  


.oO°Oo.

  
  


The light was too bright for his eyes. Not blinding, but too bright and he closed his eyes again after he had barely opened them. A throbbing started in his head again, not as bad this time as he blinked again, his eyes more adjusted to the light. 

A high ceiling. Cream coloured walls. Warm gas lamps. Muffled voices. 

His fingers twitched over the fabric it was laying on - soft, warm. A blanket? Was he in a bed?

Warmth closed around his hand and a gasp sounded beside his bed, a face appeared over him for a moment. Familiar features, round eyes behind spectacles, brown hair. Another face, female this time. His brain was working to remember who they were but everything was blurry. There was a tiredness pulling him in, a warmth. He gave in. For once, the darkness seemed comforting to him. 

  
  


Muffled sounds reached his ears. Voices around, no words he could make out yet. He didn’t want to open his eyes yet, it was so warm and comfortable. He felt like his limbs were made of lead, completely glued to the bed. The throbbing in his head had receded, only a mild pressure. There was something off about how his leg and his side felt, but it didn’t hurt. Just somewhat numb. Was the rest of him also numb?

He tried to remember how moving worked, how he activated his muscles. It took a second, but then he felt his finger twitch. Feeling seemed to return to his limbs from there, travelling up his arm and through his chest to his limbs. He turned his head to the side, soft fabric brushing against his cheek. It stung a bit and he winced slightly, his eye fluttering open. 

On the side of his bed, there was a slumped figure. He wasn’t sure if the person was asleep, face obscured by his arms and breathing slow. His eyes trailed over the figure, taking in their tall, lanky built, the bright green sweater. His hand was curled into the sheet, long fingers clinging to the white fabric. He recognised these hands. 

“Hyung.” 

His voice was a hoarse whisper, barely audible. It was a feat, but he slowly moved his hand towards the older boy’s hand, softly brushing over it before dropping his hand on the older’s. The boy flinched and looked up, startled and bleary, eyes unfocussed. When they found him, they widened. 

“Donghyun!” 

It was hushed, but his voice alerted the rest in the room, people Donghyun had heard, but not seen yet. He wasn’t even sure where he was right now, his mind still muddled. Jinhyuk. That was the name of the boy in front of him. Why was he here? Where was Donghyun?

Steps approached the bed, and another face, a strict woman appeared over him, gently turning his head so he was facing the ceiling again. His head felt like it was stuffed with cotton, information barely trickling into it, as if they were held back by a dam. 

Nurse Sun. That was the woman. There were more people, he noticed. Round eyes and glasses - the boy from before. Wooseok? Someone taller behind him, strong features - he squinted and he was sure it was Seungwoo, but his brain was muddled. 

“Focus on me,” Nurse Sun ordered gently and he blinked up at her. Her eyes flickered over him, her wand directed at him, moving systematically over his head and neck. 

“Do you know who you are?” she asked softly. Donghyun tried to answer, but his voice was scratchy. 

“Donghyun,” he croaked out. Nurse Kim nodded. 

“Do you know where you are?” she asked. He had to think for a second, then he connected the dots. The infirmary. His answer seemed sufficient and Nurse Kim nodded. 

“Can you name the others?” she continued and Donghyun’s eyes flickered over the people around the bed again. With each name he relayed, his voice grew more confident, and more memories returned to him. Evenings in the common room, Wooseok scolding before ruffling his hair, Jinhyuk preparing a prank. More faces, more people. It all returned. The dam was opened, slowly, as Hogwarts flooded back. 

“Do you remember what happened?” Nurse Kim asked and his eyes returned to here, confused. “Out,” she elaborated, “in the woods.” 

The woods. What woods again? A forest? He closed his eyes for a second. 

Forest. Forbidden Forest. 

The dam broke. It came flooding back in and he gasped as it all came back. The cockatrice, the fight, the woods. The fire. The fear. 

Yunseong. 

He shot upwards, almost tumbling over again at the sudden movement, but he held himself up, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. 

“Yunseong-” he gasped out, tears in his eyes. A dark bundle under a tree, unmoving. He needed to find him, to get to him, get him out of there. 

He almost fell in a flurry of limbs, but arms wrapped around him, securing him seated on the edge of the bed, barely holding himself upright as he clung to Jinhyuk. The older was holding him back as much as he was holding him up.

The voices around him grew louder, another hand was on his shoulder, but he pushed against the arms holding him, weakly but insistently. 

“Donghyun, wait-”

“You need to lay down-”

“I need to find him!” 

His voice had risen to a hoarse scream, desperate and fearful and the voices ceased for a moment. Then the hand on his shoulder squeezed it lightly. 

“Slowly,” Nurse Kim said. “Calm down, he’s here.” 

Donghyun felt his breath quicken again, a choked off sob in his throat. He felt Jinhyuk breathe shakily against him. His legs gave way and he slumped back onto the bed, almost falling had it not been for Jinhyuk still holding him. Yunseong was here, he was  alive . 

“I-,” he started but his words left him. He felt dizzy again. Steps sounded behind him and someone went around the bed, and Jinhyuk slowly let go, only a hand on Donghyun’s arm making sure he wasn’t toppling over. Nurse Kim stepped towards him. 

“Slowly,” she ordered before wrapping an arm around his waist and carefully hoisting him up. Someone - Wooseok maybe? - pulled back the curtain around the neighbouring bed and Donghyun barely suppressed a whimper. Yunseong was still deathly pale, his lips almost white. He was completely still under the blankets, only the rise of his chest showing that he was alive. There were scratches on his face, treated and healing already thanks to magic, his left wrist bandaged. 

Nurse Kim slowly led him forward, the few steps separating the beds seemingly miles and slowly let him sit on the edge of Yunseong’s bed. Donghyun trembled as his eyes raked over his friend, as if making sure he was still alive. He was breathing, but he looked so still, so cold. Shakily, he raised his hand and placed it on Yunseong’s cheek. 

The warmth that bled into his palm was more reassuring than anything. Yunseong was unmoving but there was warmth in him. He was here, he was safe, alive. Donghyun hadn’t killed him. He was alive. 

A sob broke free and he slumped over, breath coming in quick bursts, but his eyes were dry. The relief that washed over him was like a wave of warmth, but it was also taking all his adrenaline supplied strength away. He leaned his forehead against Yunseong’s torso and closed his eyes for a second, the familiar smell of his best friend underneath the antiseptic scent still recognisable. His hand was clutching the blanket tightly, unwilling to let go. 

A hand landed on his shoulder, gentle with cold fingers.

“You should lay back down,” Nurse Kim said, not unkindly. “He will take a while to wake up and you need some more rest as well.” 

But Donghyun just shook his head weakly. He couldn’t let go, not now. He needed to make sure Yunseong stayed with him, that this had not been too much for him- but the world felt like it was spinning around him and it was hard to stay conscious. His body was out of his own control, as if he was walking on clouds. He felt dizzy. 

Hand pulled him up, supporting him under his arms and practically carrying him back to his bed. The voices around him seemed muffled and he tried to make out the words, or their sense but it was hard. So much harder than usually. 

“-rest of the poison-”

“-how...survive?”

“...magic overload?”

“Go back...late.. Know when they wake up-”

“- stay...”

What was all of this about? Donghyun wasn’t sure anymore, but consciousness kept slipping from him and the voices grew farther and farther, almost unrecognisable. Darkness was flooding around him like a welcoming blanket and he felt a warm hand card through his hair. 

Then he fell asleep again. 

  
  


He woke up when the sun was already up in the sky - or when it should be. But the rays were obscured by a dark layer of clouds. Donghyun blinked several times as his eyes adjusted to the brightness before he sat up. 

His body protested, and it felt like every single of his muscles was groaning at the strain. There was a sharp sting that went through his shoulder when he leaned on his right hand and he let out a hiss. When he touched the aching skin, he found a bandage wrapped around his shoulder and torso. He winced. Seems like he hadn’t avoided the talons after all. 

“Thank god you’re awake,” a voice said beside him, raw with emotions. Donghyun whipped around with wide eyes. 

Yunseong was still on the bed beside him, but awake this time. The older boy was propped up on some pillows against the headboard, a book opened in his lap. He was looking at the younger with an expression filled with so much relief and fondness that Donghyun forgot how to breathe for a moment. They had both gotten out. 

“You’ve been asleep for so long, and Nurse Kim said you were so disoriented when you woke up at night that they were getting really worried about you.” 

Donghyun nodded dumbly, no coherent words forming in his throat - which felt a bit tight. Yunseong looked a bit worse for wear, but it seemed there were only superficial wounds. Some scratches in his face were already healing, one wrist was bandaged and his eyebrow looked like it had been singed. 

“How do you feel?” he managed to croak out instead of a reply to Yunseong. The older smiled. 

“Weak,” he replied. “Kind of jittery, but nothing too bad. Not as drained as usually after-” 

He broke off, his smile wavering slightly and a wave of guilt crashed in on Donghyun. This was all his fault. It was his fault that Yunseong had gotten involved, that he had been in the woods, that he was injured, that he was feeling like this again. 

“Hyun.”

The soft and gentle tone had him look up, sight blurry. Yunseong had closed his book and turned towards him. 

“It’s not your fault. You couldn’t have known.” 

Donghyun felt something warm run down his cheek and lifted his hand to his face. It came away wet. He stared at it as if he didn’t know what to do with that information. There was rustling beside him, but the beating of his own heart, the guilt that felt so consuming, had him in a tight grip. 

The mattress was pressed down on one side and arms wrapped around him, pulling him into a shoulder. Yunseong’s presence invaded his space effortlessly and it felt like home, like it always had, since they had just been kids. He let out a shaky breath and reached for the older, shaking hands clasping the nightshirt the Ravenclaw was wearing. The hold on him tightened and he let out another breath, calmer this time, as he buried his face in Yusneong’s shoulder, the older rubbing comforting circles on Donghyun’s back. 

“Who allowed you to get up, Hwang Yunseong?” 

Nurse Kim’s voice was strict, but not as harsh as she usually was. Yunseong loosened his grip enough to look over his shoulder but Donghyun kept his face hidden. He needed a moment to compose himself. 

“Is Donghyun awake?” 

Wooseok’s voice sounded anxious and Donghyun looked up at the unexpected presence. His face was probably a mess, red and puffy and altogether not healthy looking but that didn’t matter for now. He followed Yunseong’s gaze and saw Nurse Kim had entered not from her office but through the main door, accompanied by several teachers - and to his surprise three of their friends. 

Yunseong nodded to answer the older Ravenclaw’s question and Donghyun saw Wooseok squeeze his eyes shut for a moment, a tiny smile lighting up his features. Jinhyuk beside him placed a hand on his shoulder. Donghyun let his eyes go over the rest of the group: Seungwoo stood beside the two boys, his face unreadable and pale, dark bags under his eyes. Professors Kim Yoojung and Kim Chungha, accompanied by Professors Im Nayoung and Yoon Jisung were all looking at them with varying states of relief and something akin to curiosity. The silence was broken when the door closed and Donghyun’s eyes flitted to the last figure: Headmaster Lee Dongwook turned to them, concern clearly painted onto his features. 

“I think we have some things to explain and discuss,” he announced. “Shall we all sit down?” 

With a flick of his wand, several chairs appeared around Donghyun’s bed and the headmaster gestured at them for the other’s to sit down. Yunseong turned back to Donghyun. 

“Scoot over a bit,” he mumbled. The younger complied, and the Ravenclaw turned around, leaning the pillows against the headboard for both of them to sit against it. They got a disapproving glare from Nurse Kim but Donghyun was indescribably glad that Yunseong stayed by his side. They had some explaining to do, and he wasn’t sure if he could do it without Yunseong close to him.

Wooseok sat down and immediately scooted his chair close enough to place a hand on Donghyun’s arm, studying him for a second and then moving on to Yunseong. He looked pale and tired, and his eyes were red-rimmed. Jinhyuk didn’t look much better, with his hair standing in every direction. Seungwoo stood beside the other too, eyes fixed on the two boys but face like a glacier. Donghyun had never seen the older look that distraught. 

“We will not force you to disclose anything about your situation,” Headmaster Lee broke the silence, “but we need to clear some things up to get a grasp of what happened.” 

Donghyun reluctantly tore his gaze from his friends and looked at the teachers gathered around them. Yunseong shifted beside him. 

“Why were you out there?” Professor Im asked calmly. Her eyes were studying both boys intently. Donghyun felt scrutinised and lowered his head. 

“It was my idea,” he began. “I didn’t know what was out there but I thought we could find out - and that we would find the answer in the Forbidden Forest.”

He almost winced - his decision was incredibly stupid, looking back at it.

“So you were going out to look for the creature?” 

Professor Yoon’s voice was filled with disbelief and Donghyun snapped up his head, frantically shaking it. 

“No! No, I was just- I thought-” 

His heart was beating wildly as he tried to explain. 

“He wanted to ask the centaurs.”

Yunseong’s voice was quiet but level beside him. Donghyun glanced up and was met with looks of disbelief. 

“We know one of them - Valerion, he’s helped the department of magical relations before - and they are the most likely to know what is going on or give an outlook.” 

Centaurs were extremely skilled in divination and while their constant riddles could be hard at some point they had both gotten used to it. If you asked the question right, the answer was going to be much clearer. A look at the faces around them told Donghyun that there were questions burning on everyone’s tongue, but headmaster Lee just nodded and continued his questions. 

Donghyun felt thankful. It was hard enough to explain what had happened - if they divulged into context directly it would take an extremely long time. 

“So both of you were planning to sneak out?” 

Donghyun winced at the question, despite the neutral tone Professor Yoon had chosen. But he shook his head. 

“Yunseong was against it,” he admitted. “I wanted to go but he thought it was too dangerous with everything going on - but I dismissed it. I know it doesn’t cover it even by a fraction but I’m sorry for doing that.” 

His voice was growing more and more quiet towards the end. He felt slightly choked, and he knew there were more things he had to apologise for and explain but this had been the foremost thing on his mind. Yunseong shifted beside him again and a hand brushed over his, squeezing his fingers for a moment before it retreated again. 

“I went after him,” Yunseong said into the silence. “I figured out that it was probably a cockatrice by accident, but I knew that if I waited and gathered people first, Donghyun would be too deep - I was hoping to get him out quickly enough.” 

“You underestimated the cockatrice,” Professor Im cut in, her voice hard. “These creatures are amongst the most deadly.” 

“I’m curious though,” Professor Yoojung cut in and leaned forward, eyebrows furrowed. “How in the world did you figure it out?” 

Yunseong shrugged. 

“I was thinking about it all the time, and I got hints by accident. Donghyun saw acromantulas fleeing from the woods, Professor Sohye had large amounts of mandrakes, and I overheard the headmaster and Professors Yoon and Im in the library - I fell asleep there, it wasn’t intentional!” 

Yunseong was looking at Professor Yoojung, fervently avoiding eye contact with the other teachers. 

“I could only piece it together when Eunbi told me what Ben Macdui was - and only because I coincidentally read a book about magical creatures before.” 

Professor Chungha crossed her arms, expression unconvinced. 

“That seems like an awful lot of coincidences,” she commented and Donghyun had to agree. It looked like that from an outsider’s perspective, but he knew that Yunseong had actually gathered this info on his own. Yunseong opened his mouth but closed it again, expression desperate. 

“We had no indication that anyone trespassed though,” Professor Yoojung cut in. “Plus, there is no reason he shouldn’t be telling the truth. Your concern is justified, but why would he voluntarily risk his life if he knows it’s a cockatrice for no good reason?” 

Yunseong glanced between the two women before he spoke again. 

“I only went because Donghyun was out there and it was dangerous. I would have gone out had I figured it out completely or not,” he admitted. “I was...affected by it. It was like a pressure that was closing in, a constant headache - and Donghyun had this weird feeling-”

The older broke off and Donghyun looked at him wide-eyed. Yunseong glanced over at him. 

“I was affected too?” he asked the Ravenclaw and his friend nodded slowly. 

“I think so,” he replied. “There was a sense of chaos, and it was draining.” 

Coldness flooded through Donghyun at the revelation - he hadn’t even noticed but it explained a lot. His rashness and lack of consideration, as well as Yunseong’s headache and weak condition. His hand flew to his side where he still felt a dull pressure, like pain that had faded into an afterthought. His eyes bore into Yunseong’s, asking an unspoken question but the older shook his head slightly. Another realisation struck him.

“So the electricity we were feeling-” he asked and Yunseong nodded. 

“It wasn’t outside,” he replied. Donghyun slumped into the pillows as he tried to understand it all. He hadn’t even noticed, had been so caught up in his emotions and his own head that he had been too blind for what had been happening right in front of him. Right inside of him even. 

“It cancelled the cockatrice out,” headmaster Lee mumbled, bringing all eyes onto him. “They repelled each other. That surely explains it. But how in the world did you fight that creature?” 

Donghyun exchanged another look with Yunseong. The older shrugged slightly. 

“We mainly ran,” he started slowly. Struggling for words, he explained how he led the beast away from Yunseong and how they had hidden in the roots. Professor Yoojung cut in to ask for the exact spells they had used but apart from that no one interrupted him. He tried to recount their strategy and Yunseong jumped in to explain what had happened to him and how he had come up with it. Only when he recounted their final attack and the spell laced with black, did his voice falter. Yunseong’s hand had been resting on his and now it curled around his fingers again in a silent show of support.

“I-,” he croaked out but words failed him. 

“It was emotion activated,” Yunseong jumped in again. “So the spell got twisted and much stronger, strong enough to kill it.” 

The older squeezed his hand again as Donghyun stared down at the blanket covering his lap. Blood was rushing through his veins, almost drowning out the voices around him. The fear from before had crept up again, wrapping around his heart with an ice cold grip. 

“That was extremely risky,” Professor Kim said, her voice almost shaking. “Instinctual, but it could have-”

“I thought I killed him,” Donghyun whispered. All eyes landed on him as Professor Kim fell silent. His eyes were swimming as he kept staring at the blanket. 

“I thought I had actually killed him. That it was too much magic-” 

“But,” Wooseok spoke for the first time, voice barely above a whisper, “you killed it. The cockatrice. It’s- you actually managed to-” 

He broke off, reaching out to place a comforting hand on Donghyun’s arm and the boy knew the older meant well but he was so off right now. He raised his head and looked at Wooseok. 

“Not the-” he started, voice cracking. “Not- I thought I…”

He took a deep breath, eyes wide as he stared at Wooseok. 

“I thought I killed Yunseong,” he pressed out. “And I almost did. That spell- it almost-”

“You didn’t,” Yunseong cut in. “Stop. Stop, you didn’t- I’m okay.”

Hands grabbed his face and turned him around to look at the older, squishing his cheeks together. 

“Stop blaming yourself! It’s not like you chose it either, and you’re not helping with being dramatic about it!”, the older exclaimed, his eyes fixed onto Donghyun’s. 

“None of this is your fault and instead of whining, we should try to figure out why it didn’t kill me - because news flash, that’s a really fucking good thing and maybe something we can expand-” 

“Yunseong,” headmaster Lee cut in gently. “While I appreciate your fervency, I think you two need to explain some things first.”

Yunseong’s eyes went wide when he realised there were other people around them, still, and he let go of Donghyun. The Hufflepuff felt absolutely stunned; the words of his friend had struck a certain chord in him. The fear hadn’t dissipated yet, but there was something else there. Something like hope.

He looked over at the teachers. Headmaster Lee had risen from his chair and the other teachers were following suit. The man looked at them with the hint of a smile playing around the corners of his mouth. He glanced at them and then the remaining three boys next to their bed. 

“For now, we will let you rest - we have some more things we have to look into about all of this. But Yunseong might be right.”

With these cryptic words the headmaster turned around and headed for the door, followed by the rest of the teachers. Nurse Sun looked after him with a raised eyebrow. 

“What an exit,” she mumbled sarcastically before she looked back at the boys. She frowned. 

“You two-” she pointed at Donghyun and Yunseong, “are still on bed rest. When I come back in half an hour, both of you better be in your own bed doing exactly that. Understood?” 

The two nodded at her and she turned around in a flurry of white robes and headed to her office. The door closed behind her and the boys exchanged a look of apprehension before they turned to the three older boys on the other side of the bed. All three of them had been silent except for Wooseok’s short interjection and their expressions were completely unreadable. 

Wooseok’s hand was still laying on the blanket from when he had placed it on Donghyun’s arm before, Jinhyuk beside him was hunched over on himself, his palms hidden under his thighs and chewing on his lip while Seungwoo was sitting ramrod-straight and hadn’t moved for the entirety of the talk. 

Donghyun opened his mouth but he didn’t know what to say. Yunseong shifted uncomfortably next to him. They had a lot of explaining to do. But before that there was something else that they had to do. 

“We’re sorry - we never wanted to pull you into any of this, but you did and you had to see all of this-” 

“We’re sorry that we worried you so much,” Yunseong added. His voice was quiet and hoarse. 

“All of this - it wasn’t supposed to get out to anyone, preferably ever, but we messed this up and we’re sorry for that.” 

“You idiots,” Jinhyuk croaked. Both boys fell silent as they met the eyes of the older boy, their confidante in so many pranks and close friend. He looked haunted, an underlying fear in his eyes and his lips bitten raw. He looked like he had barely slept. 

“You idiots,” he repeated, “if you apologise then at least do it for the right thing! Do you seriously think we are bothered because we became privy to some kind of dark secret or something? Is this really what you think this is about?” 

Donghyun almost cowered under the intense gaze the older had them fixed in. He averted his eyes, but they fell onto Wooseok and it felt like a punch to the gut. The older had his head bowed, hands fisted into the blanket that was already speckled with wet droplets that were joined by more. He wasn’t making a sound but his tears were falling rapidly. Donghyun dragged his eyes back to Jinhyuk. 

“If you apologise,” the Gryffindor said, “then apologise for being stupid enough to run into the forest when something dark is out there. Apologise for worrying us while you fought a fucking cockatrice. Apologise for not getting help when you should have never gone out on your own. But don’t apologise because there are things about you we didn’t know.” 

Yunseong’s warm breath was grazing the side of Donghyun’s neck as he stared at Jinhyuk. Yunseong’s hand curled around his wrist and Donghyun was glad at the touch - it was like an anchor. He felt stunned, unsure how to react. Because Jinhyuk was right, if he thought about it. But to put that realisation into words was a harder task than he had thought. 

“You owe us an apology,” Jinhyuk added. “Or several. But not now. Think about what you want to say first. Be sincere about it.” 

The older lifted a hand and placed it onto Wooseok’s nape. The Ravenclaw was still bent over the blanket but he wasn’t crying anymore it seemed. It was as if Jinhyuk’s touch had flipped a switch and Wooseok sat up again, blinking a few times before he looked at the boys on the bed. His gaze was watery. 

“There are other questions right now,” he said softly. “How are both of you?” 

“How are you alive?” 

Seungwoo’s voice was unexpected and cut through the room in an icy tone, despite being deep and hoarse. The older was looking at them with an unreadable expression, hand clenched at his side and eyes hard. His jaw was set, the tense muscles visible in his neck too. His eyes were boring into them as his question seemed to echo in the air. 

Jinhyuk had flinched at the words and Wooseok had leaned back into his boyfriend, letting out a shaky breath. Seungwoo’s eyes flitted between Yunseong and Donghyun. 

“The thing is,” he said slowly, carefully, as if he was holding all his emotions back with strict reigns, “that I am not quite sure if what I’m seeing and hearing is real. Because I know for a fact that you two encountered a cockatrice. In close quarters.”

He looked at each of them for a moment before he spoke again. 

“Eunbi alerted us and the teachers that Yunseong went out, and I couldn’t find Donghyun - because we were to gather our houses for an announcement when she saw you. We were supposed to tell them what was approaching, and that it was extremely lethal. And you two were out there. Both of you should have been dead within a minute of seeing it.”

His words were cold, but Donghyun finally understood. Seungwoo was neither indifferent, nor mad. He wasn’t sure if he was really awake, if all this was really happening. He noticed how the older had kept his distance from them, even from the fragmented memories he had from waking up at night - the older had stayed back. Seungwoo wasn’t uncaring. He was afraid. Afraid that he would blink at some point and realise that him and Yunseong really were dead. 

Donghyun sat up and inched down the bed, closer to the oldest who was eyeing them. He stretched out his hand to Seungwoo, palm upwards, and looked into his eyes. 

“Take my hand,” he said. He saw fear flicker over Seungwoo’s face and he realised that the older was afraid like he had been when he had seen Yunseong lay there still and unmoving. But he also remembered how feeling his warmth, knowing that his heart was beating, had been the only thing that had convinced him that his friend was still with him. Along with the fear that when he touched him, his skin would be cold to the touch. Seungwoo pressed his lips into a thin line before he lifted his hand. 

The fingers that hesitantly brushed Donghyun’s hand and curled around it were cold. They just hovered over his palm for a second before they closed around his hand. A tremor took hold of it and went through Seungwoo’s entire body before he slumped over in his seat, eyes squeezed shut and hand closed around Donghyun’s fingers tightly. The boy could hear him take in a rattling breath before he looked up again. 

It was like a mask had fallen. All the fear, the desperation, was painted onto Seungwoo’s features as his eyes frantically looked over Donghyun before they moved on to Yunseong who leaned forward and placed his hand on Seungwoo’s clasped one. 

“We’re really here,” Yunseong assured the older softly. “We’re really alive.” 

Seungwoo nodded and his eyes swam, but he bit back the tears and swallowed heavily. Then he let out a breath and shook his head as if he was trying to hold on to the last bits of his self-control. Donghyun decided to make it easier for the older. 

“We had a kind of protective shield around us, you could say,” he said on the older’s question from earlier, slowly leaning back and pulling his hand out of Seungwoo’s grasp, looking at Jinhyuk and Wooseok. 

“A shield?” Jinhyuk asked and Donghyun shrugged and pursed his lips. Yunseong moved behind him. 

“I think we need to start at the beginning,” he said and Donghyun felt his heart rate pick up - but it was more nervousness than dread. For the first time, they were letting someone in on what they had kept hidden from everyone save from their teachers and families. 

“We have a kind of connection,” he started and noticed how a half-hearted smirk appeared on Jinhyuk’s face. “A physical connection.” 

Wooseok’s eyes widened and he looked at the two boys. His eyes spelled his question out for them. How? Donghyun sighed. 

“There is a kind of magical defect running in my family,” he started. “It’s from my mum’s side. It makes us powerful, but something is messed up in our spellcasting. The transmission is faulty and every spell cast at full power and control is laced with a weird kind of dark magic.” 

He studied the three older boys. They were all looking at him with wide eyes - but no fear. 

“It makes spells powerful, but often more uncontrollable afterwards - like fire is cast, but turns into fiendfyre and is almost impossible to stop, something simple like Expelliarmus doesn’t just take the wand but the whole arm… The stronger the emotions or intentions behind it, the stronger the change.”

Jinhyuk gasped. 

“Is this why you never cast powerful spells, even if it was clear that you had fully grasped them?” he asked breathlessly and Donghyun nodded. The older had spent so much time with them, he had noticed that something was off with their spellcasting - but thankfully he had never questioned them about it. 

“The main problem is that the spells are always that powerful,” Donghyun added. “Regardless of the control the caster has, or if it is even intentional. The magic just activates at a certain level - you can’t decide if it comes forth or not.”

Yunseong’s hand landed on his shoulder and squeezed it - a sign that he was continuing from here. Donghyun was grateful. He wasn’t sure if he could do this alone. 

“Our families are close friends,” Yunseong explained. “We’ve always played together as kids, we were close from the get go. There was a little creek in a bit of forest close to our houses - we spent a lot of time there. One day-” 

Yunseong chuckled and Donghyun turned to look at his friend. Yunseong met his eyes. 

“Children,” he said easily. “We were arguing over a toy, who’s turn it was to play with it. I took it and Hyunie - he burst into tears and pointed his finger at me. He accidentally cast a spell to stop me from taking it.”

Yunseong chuckled again and looked back at the other boys. But Donghyun’s eyes stayed on Yunseong. He felt frozen as the memory was replayed. 

“He was five - both of us had no clue how to control or channel magic,” he added. “He cast something that turned into Sectumsempra - at least it apparently looked like it. He was angry and he wanted to stop me, and the magic was twisted a lot. Instead of a shallow cut, it was cutting deeper and kept going-” 

Yunseong winced and grimaced. Donghyun let out a shaky breath and his eyes flitted down to Yunseong’s side where he knew the scar was hidden, wrapped around his waist and almost all the way up to his spine. It had been a gaping wound.

“Anyways,” he said with a shake of his head. “Our parents came directly, and it turned out that the cut couldn’t just be healed because that dark magic was still eating at it. They had to contain it in me, halt it, but it couldn’t be extracted. A bit like the nano drones from Star Trek.” 

Jinhyuk nodded. 

“So you’re basically a Borg,” he commented and Yunseong nodded with a snort. Donghyun turned back to look at the others and was greeted with a shaky smile from Jinhyuk, while Wooseok muttered a miffed ‘nerd’ at the comment. But Yunseong’s hand was gripping tightly onto Donghyun’s wrist. The older was deflecting, playing it down. The memories had been haunting them for a decade now, and they weren’t getting weaker. 

He shivered as images flashed up in front of his inner eye: Yunseong on the ground, his eyes wide open as blood gushed from his side, the weird sizzling Donghyun felt in his veins, his own panicked scream. His mother as she apparated right beside him when she felt the magic in her own veins tingle from the spell. The smell of antiseptic, a pale Yunseong, six years old, tiny in a hospital bed. 

He looked back at their friends and felt grateful. None of them were looking at them with pity, or judgement. No matter how guilty Donghyun felt for what had happened - he never stopped blaming himself for it - there was a selfish part of him that didn’t want to experience blame from his friends for what had happened. He was sure the three boys were practically whirring with thoughts on their situation right now, but they stayed calm. Which was all he could ask for right now. 

“Do you have the same magic as Donghyun then?” Seungwoo asked quietly and Yunseong shook his head. 

“More like opposite,” he replied. “They stopped it, but it would still be activated by a certain magic level-” 

He stopped and pursed his lips as he thought about how to explain. Donghyun decided to jump in again. 

“The magic is contained in Yunseong, but it has spread to his whole body,” he explained. “When I cast spells, it makes them more powerful. For Yunseong though...If it activates, it basically saps his strength from him and he even collapses - and the more powerful, the more it saps from him.” 

“It’s connected to Donghyun though,” Jinhyuk said and looked between the two of them with wide eyes. “That’s why he thought he-” 

He glanced over at Donghyun and the younger nodded. That’s why he thought he killed Yunseong when he had seen him lay under the tree. The older had already been weakened. 

“Wait,” Wooseok jumped in, eyes narrowed in on Yunseong. “Didn’t you collapse in class once?” 

They both nodded and Donghyun lowered his head. 

“I cast a spell with too much power,” he admitted quietly. “I usually manage to keep it low enough, but that time it was too powerful and-” 

“Basically, I’m affected by that magic no matter if Hyun or me casts any spell,” Yunseong summed it up. “It’s a bit inconvenient at times, but there is no one to blame. No one could have known how it would turn out and Hyun never asked for it either -, but ever since he’s been scared of casting spells, even when I feel nothing.” 

Donghyun’s head snapped around. 

“I can’t just do trial and error though!” he protested. “If I cast a strong spell, I can hurt you in the process, I could trigger god knows what!” 

“And I’m telling you we need to find that limit,” Yunseong held his ground and they glared at each other. 

“Boys,” Seungwoo interrupted them gently. Donghyun closed his eyes for a second and let out a breath before he looked back at the others. Seungwoo was studying them with tired eyes. The older had never looked so lost - but then he blinked and the emotions were gone. 

“How come Yunseong stayed upright in the forest?” Jinhyuk asked. “You said you were weakened already - and what was that electricity about?” 

Donghyun bit his lip as he thought about how to explain it when and Jinhyuk looked ready to ask even more questions - but he didn’t get to it. Wooseok turned to the Gryffindor and placed a hand on his cheek. 

“Give him a moment,” he said quietly. “And give them some space too, okay?” 

Jinhyuk closed his already opened mouth and looked at the smaller headboy, eyes growing soft. 

“You’ve been quiet,” he mumbled and Wooseok shrugged, then turned to look at the boys on the bed. 

“It’s not that I don’t want to know,” he said slowly, “but it’s been a lot for all of us. And most of all, I am just relieved they are okay. Everything else is secondary for now. We don’t have to explain everything right now.” 

Donghyun felt warmth bloom in his chest at the words. Wooseok was giving them the option to postpone this talk. He cared about them, maybe sometimes he cared too much about everything, and he understood just how big this was. Just how hard to put everything out there. And he was giving them the option to do it on their own terms. Donghyun was grateful - but he wanted to explain this now. At least enough to make everyone understand.

“I think,” Yunseong spoke up, “that this might have been the only time Donghyun’s magic was truly beneficial - but it also fell back on him.”

Now, everyone including Donghyun was confused. Yunseong rubbed the back of his neck. 

“The magic kept the cockatrice poison out,” he started. “I don’t really know how that worked but since it only reacts to magic, I’m guessing that that poisonous breath is some kind of vapour laced with magic. Donghyun’s magic formed like a protective barrier, both from the vapour and the presence - which is why we felt that electricity that much, but it got absorbed-” 

Yunseong broke off and looked at the others - that all looked confused. He smiled. 

“Imagine it like this,” he started again. “This dark magic formed a kind of protective bubble around both of us because it reacted to the cockatrice. Like an instinctual reaction?”

Donghyun hummed and nodded, finally understanding. 

“It activated, but low level, so it felt like a headache to you, and a pressure, because it cut off the outside. I didn’t notice because it’s an integral part of my magic flow,” he added and Yunseong nodded. 

“That’s also why we didn’t die close to the cockatrice,” the Ravenclaw continued, “but your magic absorbed everything and that fell back on you later.” 

Donghyun raised an eyebrow. 

“How though?” he asked. Yunseong’s face fell, eyes full of emotion. 

“Right,” he said quietly, “you wouldn’t know.” 

Donghyun furrowed his eyebrows, face close to Yunseong’s as he tried to figure out what the older meant. A hand landed on his thigh and he turned around to see Wooseok leaning forward. 

“You-” he started and his voice cracked. The older blinked, collecting himself before he tried again. 

“When they found you, your heart rate was dangerously low and you showed signs of petrification,” Wooseok explained. “If it had been later, you probably- the poison levels were really high, and even when you woke up you had memory problems and- your magic and the poison kept spiking and they were close to taking you to St. Mungo’s- when you woke up for the fifth time-” 

“Wait,” Donghyun interrupted, eyes wide. “I only remember waking up twice.” 

Wooseok smiled painfully. 

“You were out for almost two days,” he said slowly. “You kept waking up, sometimes you recognised things, most of the time not and-” 

“I’m sorry,” Donghyun whispered. He felt numb. There were almost two days missing in his memories, and he hadn’t even noticed. He didn’t even remember what had happened, he had been sure, absolutely sure that he had only woken up twice. He felt a tremor take hold of his body at thought and he looked at Seungwoo and Jinhyuk - but their expressions told him all he needed to know. They had been thinking that he might die from this - all signs had pointed to it. 

“I was out cold most of the time,” Yunseong whispered, “but when I woke up you were always- I thought that this was it. That it would end here and-” 

“I’m sorry,” Donghyun repeated, his mind empty. How did you apologise for worrying someone because you almost died and didn’t even remember. Wooseok let out a choked laugh before he got up from his chair. The older boy gingerly sat down on the edge of the mattress and smiled at them. It was weak and shaky, but it was a smile. 

“Stop apologising,” he croaked out and opened his arms. It was all the invitation Donghyun needed. 

Everything felt more real suddenly, as if all that had happened, the realisation, the dread, the fear, the exhaustion suddenly crashed down on him. As if he had been running on adrenaline until now and now it was depleted. He fell forward into Wooseok’s embrace and felt how the older pulled Yunseong in too. Small hands rubbed circles into his back, moved to brush over his hair as Wooseok held them. 

For all them times he had scolded them, he cared about them even more - and to be quite honest, Donghyun didn’t think he had realised just how much that meant to him, how much Wooseok meant to him until now. But he felt safe. Despite everything that had happened, everything he had revealed, he felt safe with the older boy. 

Another arm wrapped around his back and a weight leaned against his side. Jinhyuk’s familiar smell reached his nose and he didn’t need to look up for confirmation to know that the Gryffindor boy had joined their hug. Their confidante, partner in crime, and the person that had probably always known more about their magic than he had let on. Gentle fingers carded through his hair, and Yunseong mumbled something beside him. 

“This is sappy.” 

Wooseok chuckled and Seungwoo spoke, his voice coming from the other side of the bed next to Yunseong. 

“Don’t act like you don’t enjoy this,” he commented and Yunseong squawked. 

“Shhhhh,” Jinhyuk hissed. “You’re ruining the moment.” 

Donghyun snorted, but kept his eyes shut and buried his face in Wooseok’s shoulder. Yunseong giggled beside him and he felt Jinhyuk shift. 

“Half an hour is up and - Keum Donghyun, what do you think you are doing with your shoulder injury?! Hwang Yunseong, your side isn’t even close to healing, get back to bed right now and you three out!”

Nurse Kim’s voice was equally disbelieving and exasperated and all five of them flinched and scrambled immediately. Jinhyuk was ready to protest but one look from the scolding woman a few metres from the bed had him shut up and lower his head. Wooseok squeezed both Donghyun’s and Yunseong’s arm for one more time before he slipped off the bed and was promptly shooed out by nurse Kim, explanations and apologies drowned out by a scolding on responsibility and medical awareness. 

That was definitely one way to end their moment. Donghyun exchanged a glance with Yunseong, his eyes flitting down to the older’s side that wasn’t as healed as the older had pretended. But that would all be answered in time. They weren’t okay yet, but they were getting there. And they were finally getting everything out into the open. 

But for now, they were in for a scolding. That was nothing unusual. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you guess what it was? Was it bad? We had this planned for a really long time so hopefully you enjoyed it. And we know that not all questions are answered and open end met yet - patience, young grasshoppers! We're already on the new chapter, so hopefully that will be on time. Until then, let us know your thoughts in the comments or on Twitter! (@chaos_kisses)


	32. Letters, a meeting and a nap

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I could make up an excuse why it took us so long, but the truth is I was stuck with writing. I just couldn't get the last part of this chapter right, and I didn't want to upload something that is bad or not fitting for the characters in question. Sorryyyyy... I won't promise that we'll be punctual for the next update, but we'll get back on track definitely.

“So I was sitting there-”

“Barbecue sauce on your titties-”

“Not this time.”

“Say what now?”

“Moving on. So there I was, when suddenly something unexpected happened.”

“Something unexpected?”

“Yup. A thought hit me-” 

“That really is unexpected-”

“Shut it!” 

Being hit by Byungchan’s full body weight was basically as if a young birch suddenly decided to fall on you. Long, thin, lanky, not exactly heavy but limbs everywhere. The tall Gryffindor wrapped around Dohyon like a human octopus, pinning his limbs to his sides and holding him down to the bed. Beside them, Hyeongjun had jumped off to the side and was now giggling happily. 

“Listen to me, you brat! I had an epistolary-” 

“I think you mean epiphany.” 

“Yes. Exactly. That’s what I said.” 

Byungchan loosened his grip a bit and rolled them so they were laying next to each other instead, the older’s arm still under Dohyun’s head. Hyeongjun apparently saw that as an invitation to throw himself on top of the two and Dohyon groaned at the added weight. Sometimes, the Hufflepuff boy seemed to forget that the weight difference between cat and human was considerable when jumping onto someone. 

“What was that epiphany?” Hyeongjun asked and looked at Byungchan who raised an eyebrow. 

“See, Dohyon, this is the right behaviour. Hyeongjun here actually cares about what I have to say-”

“Actually, I just want you to spill some tea,” Hyeongjun admitted with an impish grin and Byungchan groaned and rolled his eyes. Dohyon turned his head to look at the older and poked his dimpled cheek. 

“Spill,” he said quietly. 

“I was thinking about the whole pen pal thing,” Byungchan started and his voice lost a lot of its previous bravado. “And I think I really want to find out who it is. I’ve been fine with not knowing until now, but it bugs me and I-”

“You want to find him,” Dohyon summed up. Byungchan nodded. 

“I also want to make sure that he is who he says he is and not-” he trailed off and Hyeongjun nodded sagely. 

“That he’s not Gerold, 43, living in his mum’s basement and scamming Hogwarts students for a living.” 

Byungchan looked at the smaller boy with a raised eyebrow and snorted. 

“That’s oddly specific but yes. I, at least, want to know if he is Gerold,” he replied. Dohyon considered his words and shifted slightly to be able to look at the older more easily. 

“Do you want to just ask him?” he said and Byungchan pursed his lips and frowned. 

“I guess,” he replied. “But I still wouldn’t really know. I want to believe what he tells me, but there is a bit of doubt because-” 

“Because you have no confirmation.” 

Byungchan nodded. Hyeongjun laid his cheek on Dohyon’s chest and looked at Byungchan. The boy was draped over both of the other boys, legs on Byungchan, upper body on Dohyon. The bed in the Slytherin dorms was a bit cramped but they fit into it. And it was much more comfortable than on the sofa in the common room. And less people around them. None, to be exact. 

“Then let’s gather what we have for now, and try to make some guesses. But you should actually ask him some things, even if it’s just his name,” Hyeongjun suggested and Byungchan met his eyes. The older looked conflicted, unsure. Dohyon sighed and poked his dimple again. 

“Okay,” he started. “We know it’s a guy, a student probably. He initiated the conversation, and brought up some school topics first which is how we know he’s your age, roughly.”

The pen pal had once asked Byungchan something on Charms that the older boy had covered a while ago - which had led them to believe that he either imitated someone in sixth year or was a student too. 

“He’s into music, likes singing,” Byungchan added. “He used to play Quidditch as a child but is scared of flying now. One of his friends has a cat named Jaws that he cuddles a lot. He’s good at Charms, but sucks at potions and DADA. At least I’m sure he meant those.”

Dohyon exchanged a look with Hyeongjun who was chewing on his lip with a concentrated expression. Byungchan kept recounting info he had gathered. 

“One of his friends is completely head over heels for their youngest friend, but apparently he doesn’t notice - or ignores it. There’s a friend he’s gotten close to despite only meeting this year. He’s not really tall-”

“How do you know that?” Dohyon interjected and Byungchan shrugged. 

“He always complains about people being taller than him, so either everyone around him is gigantic or he’s tiny.” 

Dohyon hummed and gestured for the older to continue. 

“Apparently, he and his friends are planning to travel somewhere in the summer after school ends, but he didn’t tell me where-”

Byungchan groaned and hit the back of his head against the pillow. 

“Actually, he’s extremely good at telling me a lot without giving out any substantial information about himself. He has a pretty roundabout way of writing too, I struggle so much sometimes.”

Dohyon mulled over everything when suddenly Hyeongjun perked up. 

“Wait a second,” he said. “Okay, don’t question me for a moment and just answer. Is his writing, like his handwriting itself, kinda weird? Like kinda awkward, or stiff? Or scrawled?”

Byungchan looked at the younger boy blankly for a second. Then he furrowed his eyebrows. 

“It is,” he replied slowly. “I always thought he just has bad handwriting, but I have a feeling that’s not what you’re on about.” 

Hyeongjun shook his head. 

“What did you mean with that’s what you thought he meant with the subjects?” he asked instead and Byungchan pursed his lips. 

“He named them differently at times - not always though. Like longer names, or more like a description of the subject.” 

Dohyon pressed his lips together as he thought about that piece of information while Hyeongjun shifted on top of him. The Hufflepuff seemed to consider for a moment, then he spoke. 

“Don’t take my words as definitive,” he started, “but I think-”

He licked his lips, eyebrows furrowed. 

“Okay, this is still no guarantee that he is a student, but I think he might not be English? Or at least not a native speaker?” 

Dohyon looked up at the boy. 

“You mean that he just can’t remember the names of subjects in English, or directly translates them so the concept still comes through in a way?” he asked for clarification and Hyeongjun nodded. 

“And he might not even be a native writer? God, how do you call that? Like, he uses another alphabet or something? Or at least some kind of different structure that makes it harder for him to write English?” 

Byungchan let out a breath. 

“It would make sense,” he said slowly. “Maybe we’re going off the deep end, and maybe he’s just not Gerold, but someone from abroad scamming students but the language thing makes sense.” 

Dohyon  squinted at the ceiling as he thought about it. The timing would also make sense. The letters always took about a week to get anywhere, sometimes longer. That would definitely broaden the radius to outside of England - but also made it much wider than before. 

He sighed. 

“We need geographical clues,” he stated. “Or linguistic. Something to pinpoint an area because for now, we can only settle on everything but Great Britain if we can believe the timing and dates he put on his letters.”

Hyeongjun tilted his head. 

“But the flight area for week would narrow it down,” he pointed out with a pout. “It’s still Europe.” 

“Not necessarily,” Byungchan spoke up. “My mum works with the international owl post and there is a kind of portal-portkey system for transcontinental flights. It makes transport of anything within a week possible. Which basically narrows it down to the whole world apart from Great Britain.”

“Damn,” Hyeongjun said and dropped his forehead on Dohyon. “How are we going to figure this out?” 

His whining made Dohyon snort. 

“Well,” he said. “Guess we’ll have to wait if he divulges any info to Byungchanie and we can look for clues we missed before in the older letters. Maybe there’s something.” 

Hyeongjun hummed, displeased and pouting. Byungchan grinned. 

“Why are you more miffed than me?” he asked in an exaggerated tone, but Hyeongjun just poked his side and the older flailed in surprise, barely avoiding decking Dohyon square across the face. 

“Jesus Christ!” the Slytherin called and wrapped his arms around Hyeongjun so they wouldn’t fall off - and because he made a great shield from Byungchan’s long arms. The older caught himself and Dohyon let go of Hyeongjun, but something held his right arm back. 

“The hell?” he mumbled and lifted his head as he tried to peer over Hyeongjun’s shoulder. A white thread was connecting him to the younger boy, tangled in a button on the back of his sweater and pulled from the bandage still wrapped around his forearm. Byungchan sat up beside them. 

“I got it,” the older said and gently unwrapped the thread from the button. Dohyon let his head fall back and frowned at a sheepish Hyeongjun. 

“Why do you have buttons down your back?” he asked grumpily. “Are you wearing your clothes back-to-front?” 

Hyeongjun just rolled his eyes and perched his chin onto his hands that laid on Dohyon’s chest when the other boy pulled his arm - now free - back and inspected the bandage. Good thing it was coming off tomorrow anyway. He would have to go to the infirmary before heading to Hogsmeade for a final checkup. 

“Is it still not healed?” Hyeongjun asked and eyed the bandage, concern in his eyes. Dohyon shook his head. 

“It’s fine by now,” he said. “It’s scarred though, so I think Nurse Sun wanted to give me some more time so that it can fade. To avoid questions.”

Byungchan layed back down next to them. 

“Is the healing inhibited?” he asked. “You usually don’t get scars that easily.” 

Dohyon shrugged. 

“Maybe,” he replied. “The sedation slowed everything, so that's likely why. But it was a deep puncture, it would have left a scar regardless.” 

The sick feeling of his own teeth meeting his bone as he bit down, the pain blooming belatedly, the little moments of clearness among the chaos. He shuddered and pushed back the memories, glancing back up at Hyeongjun who was eyeing him. The boy was too perceptive. 

“And they really found nothing?” he asked quietly. Dohyon smiled mirthlessly. 

“Nope,” he said. “They’ll have to test if it’s a reaction or if the potion was faulty. But no outside influence.” 

Byungchan hummed. 

“I’m kind of glad that it wasn’t something trying to mess with you,” he admitted and Dohyon snorted. 

“Honestly?” he replied. “I think I might prefer that. At least you can easily pinpoint it instead of going through tests again and again.” 

He caught himself and closed his eyes for a second. 

“Sorry,” he mumbled. “It’s just- I don’t like it. It makes me feel like a lab rat and-”

“You’re afraid of yourself,” Hyeongjun pointed out and Dohyon nodded. The older boy had hit the nail right on the head. He was deathly afraid - of the pain, of hurting himself, of losing control, hurting others. He hated that Hangyul and Seungyoun were even more worried about him, and how now the other Hyungs had joined the fray, how Byungchan and Hyeongjun were worried. He hated that Hyeongjun had to see him like this, and he hated that he would probably see it again. 

“Hey,” the Hufflepuff whispered. “It’s okay.”

Dohyon shook his head and closed his eyes. He wasn’t going to cry. He hated crying, and most of all he was angry with himself. Why couldn’t his body just stop this? 

Small hands framed his face. 

“Look at me,” Hyeongjun said. “Or look at Byungchan, though that might make it worse-” 

“Hey!” 

Dohyon chuckled wetly but complied. Hyeongjun’s brown eyes were warm and he was smiling. 

“We’ll figure this out, alright? I’m not saying you don’t have to be afraid, because that’s fine. But this is not your fault and out of all our control. I’m here because I want to, and so is Byungchan. And so are the hyungs.” 

Dohyon nodded slightly and Hyeongjun squished his cheeks together before letting go again. 

“Also,” he added, “didn’t they say they want to conduct it with you unconscious? You won’t even be awake for it.” 

Dohyon nodded, eyes wide. 

“That’s scary for you though, right?” Byungchan jumped in. “You told me once that when you lose control it’s like being unconscious and then waking up to chaos - you’re afraid of that, right?” 

Dohyon nodded again. 

“I just want it to be over,” he whispered. The other two boys were silent for a moment. 

“Hangyul will be there with you,” Hyeongjun eventually said. Dohyon’s eyes snapped open. 

“What?” he asked and the other boy nodded.

“He asked me not to tell you,” he admitted shyly, “but I think it’s important for you to know right now- he pestered the teachers and that expert and they agreed. He’ll be there.” 

Warmth flooded through Dohyon at the thought. Despite the lingering fear that he might hurt Hangyul one day, a selfish part of him wanted him to be there. Because he had always been there, from the very start. His presence always calmed him, despite the risk. 

The older had been there when he had woken up, late into the afternoon, a book in his lap and one of his hands grasping Dohyon’s. When the younger opened his eyes with a groan, Hangyul almost dropped his book, but there was a smile on his face when he looked at him. 

“Hey,” he had greeted him, and only the red rims around his eyes showed just how exhausted he was. Dohyon had opened his mouth to greet back when a snore had interrupted him. With wide eyes he had looked to the other side of his bed where Seungyoun was perched onto the edge of the mattress, snoozing away. Dohyon and Hangyul had exchanged a look before they started giggling. 

Hangyul’s thumb had moved over the back of Dohyon’s hand. 

“How are you feeling?” he had asked and Dohyon had shrugged. Altogether, pretty normal. Only later, he had learned that they had kept him sedated for almost two days and that he had been delirious from the aftereffects for a while. Hangyul had told him what had happened, about the tests they were running when Nurse Sun was done with some check-ups (Seungyoun had been woken and pushed aside, confused and now clinging to Hangyul). 

The older had also told him that Seungwoo and Wooseok now knew about his condition. And to his own surprise, he was pretty much indifferent about it. He trusted the older boys, and judging by Hangyul’s expression, there was nothing to worry about after all.

Wooseok had visited him the next day, slowly approaching the bed with a small smile and his hands clasped together. When Dohyon had smiled at him the older had stepped closer quickly, his eyes flying over the boy as if checking that he was fine before he had sat down - on the edge of the bed, immediately wrapping his arms around the boy and pulling him in. 

“It’s good to see you awake,” he had said softly. Then he had launched into telling him what had happened the last few days. Dohyon knew he did this to keep his emotions in check and show Dohyon that nothing was different, but it also gave him time to think about what he wanted to say. 

“Hyung,” he interjected at some point and Wooseok met his eyes, expression open and warm. He had taken a deep breath before speaking. 

“I never knew how to bring it up,” he admitted. “And I never wanted it to change things if that makes sense.” 

Wooseok studied him, now more serious but not closed off.  _ Yet, _ a voice in his head whispered but he ignored it. 

“I understand,” Wooseok had replied. “At least I think I do. Maybe I don’t. And to be honest, it’s nothing I can ignore. Things have already changed with me knowing. But it doesn’t change anything about us, okay?”

Dohyon had felt cold at the words at first, anxious and unsure. But Wooseok had placed a warm, small hand on his cheek. 

“You are just as important to me as before,” he said. “But I am worried about you, I’m worried something might happen to you. And I’m worried you keep things bottled up. So now that I know, it’s something I will look out for.”

Dohyon nodded slightly. Wooseok smiled. 

“I’m not afraid of you,” he added. “I’m afraid for you. And while we are in vastly different predispositions - I know how bottling emotions up feels as well. So you can always come to me, okay?” 

Dohyon had nodded. Thankfully, Wooseok had dropped the topic afterwards and continued on with his story. But the words he had spoken were more reassuring than Dohyon had thought they would be. Seungwoo had been different too: the older had come to him when Dohyon had been allowed to leave the infirmary, taking one look and then wrapping him in a long hug. He hadn’t said anything. But Dohyon knew that there was nothing wrong. 

Since then, he had been busy with catching up in class and coming up with an explanation for his absence - while simultaneously dissolving the rumour that he had caught cooties. Likely started by Seungyoun. Byungchan had taken one look at him and asked: “Do you want to talk about it?” Dohyon had shook his head and they went back to normalcy. 

Hyeongjun had spent a lot of time with him, especially in cat form, but also more in human form - and he enjoyed it. The slightly older Hufflepuff was the person that understood him best, apart from Hangyul. And that was how he ended up with both Byungchan and Hyeongjun more often by now, sometimes joined by Minkyu, Wonjin or one of the hyungs. 

“Dohyon?” 

Hyeongjun’s voice brought him out of his thoughts and he focussed back on the situation at hand. He looked up at the smaller boy with a smile. Hyeongjun smiled back. Byungchan shifted beside them.

“Okay, question,” the oldest said. “How does Hyeongjun know?”

Both boys looked at him. 

“Classified,” was all Dohyon said at the same time that the weight on his chest disappeared. He looked up, surprised - only to see the small brown cat on his chest. Byungchan grinned. 

“That’s dope,” he commented. “And explains a lot. Do you cough up furballs though?” 

The cat launched at him, but transformed back into a human in midair, landing heavily on the older. A foot hit Dohyon’s knee but he was laughing at the look of absolute shock on Byungchan’s face when he was suddenly hit by a whole human. The wheeze he let out just added to the hilarity. Hyeongjun was laughing as they wrestled for a bit until Dohyon called for ceasefire. 

Hyeongjun let go with a last noogie to Byungchan’s head and crawled back to Dohyon, plopping down onto the boy’s chest and effectively squeezing the air from his lungs with the weight. 

“Same question,” Hyeongjun said while Byungchan settled next to them. “How did Byungchan find out? Hangyul didn’t know Byungchan knew.” 

Byungchan grinned widely. 

“My dazzling intelligence just made me piece it together,” he boasted and Dohyon snorted. But he didn’t correct him - the older had been smart about it. 

“I was into the whole birthchart stuff from divination a lot,” Byungchan elaborated and turned onto his stomach, elbows on the bed. “I looked up the timing of when Dohyon got ‘sick’, checked on some symptoms and eventually visited him before he transformed.”

“When was that?” Hyeongjun asked and Byungchan blanked for a moment as he tried to remember. 

“Third year?” he guessed. “Like, my third year.”

Hyeongjun raised his eyebrows. Dohyon nodded. Byungchan had figured him out within months of knowing him - way faster than Seungyoun.

“He came barging in because he wanted to tell me something, and when Professor Sohye came he commented that he hoped the wolfsbane tasted better than it smelled. Poor Professor almost dropped the cup in shock.” 

Hyeongjun giggled at the thought - it was very Byungchan. The older grinned. 

“I figured it out a few months earlier already,” he said. “I just didn’t see a need to bring it up - why confront Dohyon about it. The comment on the wolfsbane wasn’t even planned. It just didn’t seem important enough to change anything - if Dohyon’s a furry, that’s his thing, and you too, Jun-”

With a squawk the older rolled off the bed when the two boys pushed him off. 

“I told you to stop calling it that!” Dohyon protested when a snort reached them from the door. 

“That certainly is one way to describe it.” 

Seungyoun was leaning against the doorframe and looked at them with a grin, yellow and green in his hair. Dohyon groaned. He knew that expression. The older was already plotting on how to casually drop this very sentence in a conversation. 

“I’m going to tell Hangyul about your you-know-what,” the youngest threatened and Seungyoun’s eyes grew wide while Byungchan stopped whining and shot up from the floor. 

“Tea?” he asked. “On Seungyoun? Oh, tell me, tell me!” 

Seungyoun frantically shook his head. 

“Nothing,” he diverted fruitlessly. “Anyways, dinner, and Wonjin is looking for you, Dongpyo too-” 

“Shoot, we wanted to study!”

And with that Byungchan practically sprinted out while Hyeongjun rolled off Dohyon and stretched with the same feel as a lazy cat. Then he too sat up and headed for the door. 

“I’ll see you later!” he called and waved at Dohyon and smiled at Seungyoun before he bounced off to find his boyfriend. Seungyoun smiled back at Dohyon. 

“Dinner?” he asked and Dohyon sat up with a groan. Then he pouted. Seungyoun chuckled. 

“Come on,” the older said and held out a hand. “Hangyul’s waiting.” 

Dohyon pushed himself to his feet and slipped on his shoes before he headed over too, Seungyoun’s hand resting on his back for a second before he closed the door behind them. They headed to the Common Room where Hangyul was indeed standing and chatting with Minhee, who was practically bouncing off the walls with energy. 

“-so excited to go, and I can’t believe it, I dropped my tea when he asked and what am I going to do?” 

“Just be yourself,” Hangyul replied. “He asked you after all, and after enduring you for a while too. So don’t worry too much.” 

Minhee blushed bright pink and nodded, suddenly shy. Then he turned towards Seungyoun and Dohyon, smiling and waving before he sprinted off. Hangyul followed his gaze and raised an eyebrow. 

“Took you long enough,” was all he commented but there was no bite to his words. Instead he brushed a hand over Dohyon’s arm before they all headed out. They were almost at the Entrance Hall when Seungyoun stopped, shock painted on his face. Dohyon exchanged a glance with Hangyul, who just shrugged. 

“Oh god,” the oldest whispered. Dohyon frowned at the dramatic display. Seungyoun slowly looked down onto the ground. 

“I’m still wearing my slippers,” he gasped. And true to his words, there were slippers on his feet. Bright pink with Hello Kitty and a lot of fluff. The older stared at his feet as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing, while Dohyon struggled to contain his giggles. Hangyul just snorted beside him. 

“Took you long enough,” he commented. “And at least you’re wearing pants this time.” 

That had Seungyoun squawk and turn bright red, while Dohyon whipped his head around. 

“Tell me!” he demanded, but Seungyoun lunged forward, a hand pressed over Hangyul’s mouth. 

“No,” he said frantically. “No, no, no, no, no, we’re not reviving that story-” 

“Come on!” 

Dohyon pulled at Seungyoun’s shoulder, pouting as if his life depended on it, but the other stayed resilient. He kept quiet, and so did Hangyul, no matter what Dohyon did. Though he almost crumbled at the mention of chocolate cake. He always did. 

  
  


.oO°Oo.

At this point, Wooseok felt pretty drained. So much had happened in the past few weeks - some things happy, some worrying, some straight up terrifying - and he was emotionally drained at this point. Add schoolwork and headboy duties to that and he was ready to tell everyone to just fuck off and bury himself in his bed. Or in Jinhyuk’s arms, either worked. 

And he had just done the latter, accompanied by a cup of tea, some chocolate, a book and a blanket when another presence joined them on the sofa they had clearly claimed as theirs. Wooseok closed his eyes for a second, not even looking at the intruder (well, intruder in their personal bubble, they were in the Common Room after all) while Jinhyuk chuckled. The laugh made his chest rumble and the vibrations shot through Wooseok’s back that was leaned against the older boy’s front with his arms wrapped around the Ravenclaw. 

“Why does he look ready for murder?” a voice asked in front of him and a finger poked his cheek. Wooseok slowly opened his eyes and glared up at the black-haired boy leaned forward, with another sat on the sofa behind him. 

“Bad timing, you two,” Jinhyuk replied easily, and his arms tightened around Wooseok. The headboy squinted at the two unwelcome guests. 

“What did you do this time?” he asked warily - which earned him another chuckle and two pouts. The black-haired boy plopped onto the sofa, unceremoniously pushed Wooseok’s feet aside and threw himself over the Ravenclaw’s legs. His eyes glinted with mischief. 

“I got news,” he said auspiciously. Wooseok raised his eyebrow, unimpressed. 

“And why do I feel like you want to get something out of this?” he asked which had both boys gasp. Wooseok rolled his eyes. 

“I’ve known you for long enough,” he said dryly and pushed the chocolate towards them. “Spill.” 

The dark-haired boy grinned angelically and took a piece before he held it out to the other behind him. Then he turned back to Wooseok and Jinhyuk. Wooseok felt a shiver run over him when Jinhyuk’s breath hit his neck as the older leaned down to whisper in his ear. 

“Why do I feel like you just sold your soul to satan?” he asked but Wooseok smiled and turned his face so his nose brushed against Jinhyuk’s. 

“Don’t worry,” he said softly. “That doesn’t work when I  _ am  _ satan. And I have enough dirt on them.”

“Hyung!” 

Having one tall boy draped over his legs was one thing. Having two of them is completely different. Wooseok cursed at the added weight and promptly pushed at their heads to move - which they did, but only so his legs weren’t crushed anymore. They never changed. The black-haired boy grinned again. 

“Okay,” he started. “So you know how I have my eyes and ears everywhere-”

“And how you’re also friends with Seungyoun who can’t stay quiet  if  you have the right snack?” Wooseok interrupted. “Get to the point, Dongyeol. Hwanhee, give the chocolate back.” 

The second boy, with his light brown hair sent him puppy eyes but obediently handed the pack of chocolates back to Wooseok. Dongyeol frowned, not pleased with all the interruptions. Hwanhee patted his shoulder and leaned forward again. 

“Jungmo asked Minhee out to Hogsmeade and he agreed,” he said conspiratorially. “Well, if you call a squeak and a blushing mess a ‘yes’.” 

“Oh?” Wooseok asked and raised his eyebrows. “Mogu didn’t tell me.” 

Hwanhee and Dongyeol exchanged a glance. 

“He didn’t?” Dongyeol asked. “Then he probably didn’t plan it! Or he didn’t want anyone to know-”

He leaned even more forward. 

“Do you know if something happened while they were connected?” he asked, but Wooseok shook his head no. 

“No clue,” he admitted. “But I don’t think anything substantial happened, if you catch my drift.” 

Hwanhee hummed in thought. 

“Then they’re still figuring it out,” he concluded. “Hopefully fast, I got money on this.” 

Jinhyuk flinched. 

“You are betting on them?” he asked disbelievingly, eyes flitting between the two boys and Wooseok - who just shrugged and nodded. “Who else is in on this?” 

“Pretty much the entirety of Slytherin and Ravenclaw from 5th year upwards,” Hwanhee replied nonchalantly. “I mean, after that story. That was full on fanfiction material!” 

Wooseok looked at the boy. 

“How do you know what fanfiction is?” he asked with a lopsided grin. “You’re as clueless about muggle things as I am.” 

Hwanhee studied him for a moment before devilish grins bloomed on both his and Dongyeol’s face. The younger patted Wooseok’s knee. 

“The question is, hyung,” he started, “how do  _ you  _ know what fanfiction is?”

Wooseok shrugged, unfazed, and pointed his thumb at Jinhyuk. 

“I’m dating a nerd,” he replied easily and said nerd squawked in protest. “Who I was by the way having some nice private time with and you two are not welcome anymore. So shoo!”

He waved his hands at the two boys who were giggling by now but complied and got up from their perch on the sofa - at least, after Hwanhee snagged another piece of chocolate. 

“We’ll keep you updated,” Dongyeol announced with a wink and Wooseok nodded sagely, waving the boys off. With one last grin, they turned around and headed off towards the door, probably on their way for some mischief. Wooseok sighed. 

“I might have spoiled them a bit while raising them,” he lamented and glanced at Jinhyuk who still looked a bit shell shocked. Raising was maybe a bit exaggerated, considering that both boys were in their seventh year two, with Hwanhee in Ravenclaw and Dongyeol in Slytherin respectively, but they were younger. And they used to be sweet angels. So Wooseok had figuratively adopted them. 

“They are devils,” Jinhyuk whispered. “Gossiping devils.” 

He looked at Wooseok who just grinned. 

“Told you,” he replied. “Can’t sell your soul if your satan.” 

Jinhyuk’s face turned fonder and he pressed a kiss against the younger’s forehead. 

“I think I like this particular hell though,” he commented. Wooseok frowned. 

“That was disgustingly sweet,” he complained but he couldn’t hide the pink that was appearing on his cheeks. Jinhyuk smiled at him, when he remembered something. 

“You’re still okay with tomorrow?” he asked Wooseok quietly and the younger looked up at him, expression open and asking. 

“I am,” he confirmed. “Are you fine with it though? And Jinwoo?” 

JInhyuk bit his lip in thought but no matter which way he turned it, he always came to the same conclusion. 

“I am,” he said. “I just - I don’t know. I’m not even sure what I’m worried about, but it’s-”

He broke off, unsure how to explain it and leaned into the sofa cushions, arms tight around Wooseok who was leaned against his chest. 

“You’re not used to it,” the younger boy commented quietly. “I get that, and I get what you’re worried about. To be quite honest, I’m worried about that too. But this time - it’s not just your choice, you know?” 

Jinhyuk nodded and lowered his head, burying his nose in Wooseok’s hair. A small hand landed on his arm and gently squeezed it. 

“Let’s see how it goes,” Wooseok said quietly. “If he gets uncomfortable, I can always leave you two to it, alright?” 

Jinhyuk sighed but nodded. The whole thing had weighed at the back of his mind for the past few weeks, since he had gotten the letter from home. His mother had written that she was coming to Hogsmeade for some business and shopping on the weekend they were free to go. Attached to her letter was one from his little brother who told him he was coming along and that he wanted to meet Jinhyuk - and Wooseok. 

Jinhyuk hadn’t been sure what had surprised him most about this: the fact that his brother was coming along, or that he wanted to meet Wooseok. His initial reaction had been happiness - he hadn’t seen his family in quite a while after all, and he missed his brother, but there had been something that held back the full happiness. 

He could barely remember when his brother had last asked to meet one of his friends voluntarily, and not just because they were coming over in the summer or something. It wasn’t even that he didn’t like meeting people - he was just incredibly shy. 

“Which grade was he again?” Wooseok asked. “I always get confused with the muggle system.” 

“11th,” Jinhyuk replied absentmindedly. “He’s doing his GCSEs right now.” 

“Okay, so fifteen is GCSE,” Wooseok mumbled. “And you told me he’s good? He wanted to do the, what was it called… sixth form?” 

Jinhyuk hummed. 

“Should I explain it to you?” he asked but Wooseok shook his head. 

“Nope,” he said. “I’ll ask him. I don’t really know much, but I want to talk to him. So I’ll ask him.” 

Jinhyuk smiled. Wooseok had this certain ability to just make him happy with his mere presence, but things like this, seemingly unimportant and small - they made his heart beat higher. 

“I hope I won’t scare him,” Wooseok added more quietly, and Jinhyuk chuckled. 

“You’re not even scary,” he replied but Wooseok turned to look at him, unimpressed. 

“You were scared of me,” he said, “and don’t even try to deny it.” 

Well, that was definitely true. But Jinhyuk liked to ignore that fact. 

  
  


Breakfast the following morning was a loud occasion. The school was always buzzing with excitement when the Hogsmeade weekends rolled around, and pretty much everyone from third year upwards was ready to get out for a bit. Jinhyuk had to admit that the excitement was infectious and that despite his tiredness he was feeling somewhat energetic. But there was also a nervous energy thrumming in his veins. 

When he sat down at his house table for breakfast, Byungchan and Yohan greeted him with matching grins. 

“Are we going to meet up in Three Broomsticks?” Yohan asked excitedly - but Jinhyuk declined with a smile. Usually, he would always meet up with friends there after individual shopping and looking around, but today he had other plans. Byungchan wiggled his eyebrows. 

“Wooseok?” he asked, grinning. “Don’t tell me you’re going to Madam Puddifoot’s?” 

Jinhyuk rapidly shook his head. After accidentally going there with Seungwoo once and a week of explaining the situation to everyone and their grandmother, he had decided to never step foot in there again. The consequences of going to  _ the _ couple café and the rumour mill had been jarring. Seungsik, of course, had been highly amused about it back then and had refused to say anything about this. 

“You two sort this out,” had been his words. Seungwoo’s whining had been almost as bad as the rumours they had to kill. 

“Funny how you two think I would consider going there,” a new voice said behind the two grinning boys and their wide eyes and startled faces had Jinhyuk snort into his coffee. Wooseok really could scare anyone just by being overly sweet. The boy was leaning forward, one arm draped over each boy’s shoulder and his smile was so saccharine Jinhyuk was almost scared himself. Yohan smiled nervously. 

“Hyung,” he greeted. “Hi!” 

“Hyung!” 

Another voice barely reached them before the person belonging to it crashed into Wooseok, wrapping themselves around the smaller boy. Wooseok barely startled - a sign that he was just that used to being randomly assaulted with hugs by certain giants. 

“You didn’t wait for me,” Junho pouted out and Jinhyuk glanced at Yohan, barely withholding a grin. The Gryffindor looked ready to melt at the puppy eyes Junho was making. Wooseok was decidedly less impressed. 

“You didn’t tell me to,” he pointed out, but Junho was relentless. 

“Still,” he whined. “And you’re not spending time with me today.” 

Wooseok rolled his eyes but patted the younger boy’s head. 

“Next time,” he promised and Junho practically glowed with happiness. Jinhyuk was once again impressed. Junho really was the only one who could pull shit like this and get out unscathed. Jinhyuk had once tried and ended up in a chokehold. Bad idea, no one would recommend. He didn’t know why, but somehow Junho had this special right. And maybe he was a tad jealous. 

With a sigh he glanced at his watch and realised it was almost ten. 

“We might want to go and get our stuff,” he suggested calmly. “Check-out starts in half an hour.”

His words were true - but they were also a ploy to get some alone time with Wooseok. Jinhyuk had already brought his coat, phone and wallet with him, and he knew Wooseok had done the same. The Ravenclaw hated having to go back up the stairs.

And true, when the younger boys had jumped up, Wooseok quickly took their deserted seats, elbows on the table and head leaned forward. He smirked. 

“I talked to Mogu,” he said and Jinhyuk leaned forward too. “Apparently he wasn’t really planning on asking yet, but Minhee was ‘very cute’ his brain logged off for a second - which is Mogu used a pick-up line on Minhee and he liked it too much to admit it - and he blurted out-”

Wooseok giggled and tried to catch himself, but broke out laughing again. Despite trying to keep it down, his whole body was shaking. Jinhyuk shifted, waiting not very patiently for what had transpired. 

“He blurted out - oh god, who even taught him that? ‘Are you my appendix? Because I don’t understand how you work and you make me want to take you out’.”

Jinhyuk gasped. 

“He didn’t!” 

“He did.” 

Wooseok was glowing with amusement, but there was a fondness in his eyes that surprised Jinhyuk time and time again. It was the same every time one of the kids came up - for all his strict headboy behaviour, Wooseok was incredibly fond of them all and it was obvious that he was proud of Jungmo for asking Minhee out. Jinhyuk knew the older of the two had been struggling with the idea and how to proceed, afraid that Minhee would think he felt obligated to do so after Minhee’s advances and their newfound closeness or to be rejected and for Minhee to change his mind about him. 

“They aren’t there yet,” Wooseok said quietly, “but they want to try what happens if they get closer. Maybe it will work, maybe it won’t. But for now, they seem happy.” 

“They need to grow on their own and leave their parents behind,” Jinhyuk agreed sagely and wiped a fake tear. Wooseok snorted and got to his feet. 

“Off we go?” he asked and the Gryffindor nodded and downed the rest of his coffee before he grabbed his coat from the bench beside him. Then he followed Wooseok over to the Ravenclaw table to pick up the younger’s coat too that he had left with their friends. Sejin sent them a small smile and Jinhyuk couldn’t help it when he saw Jungmo: He placed a hand on the younger boy’s shoulder and whispered a quick good luck to him. Jungmo promptly blushed. 

Wooseok had to pull him away to escape from questioning. Lucky for them, their house teachers had already gathered in the entrance hall, ready for checking out the students. The official time was more like an orientation and always depended on the punctuality and morning habits of their teachers. Today, no one had overslept. Which basically meant Professor Kang and Professor Yoojung, on the regular. 

With their names crossed off the list, Jinhyuk and Wooseok were free to go. The weather wasn’t quite as nice today, with clouds obscuring the sky and a rather cold wind blowing. They headed down over the grassy school grounds, following the path that led to the official gates and then down to Hogsmeade. Some other groups were already out, some students in pairs or single, all heading down the same way. 

Jinhyuk felt more anxious the closer they got to the gates - but he couldn’t exactly pinpoint the anxiety. Or maybe he could. If he was being honest, he definitely could. 

A hand grabbed his and laced their fingers together, Wooseok’s small warm hands soothing against his bigger, cold ones. He glanced at the younger but Wooseok wasn’t even looking at him, eyes pointedly directed at the path in front of them as if it was the most interesting thing he had seen today. 

Jinhyuk grinned. For all his confidence, Wooseok really was shy at times. Slowly, he pulled them to a stop and Wooseok turned to look at him, eyebrows raised. Instead of saying something, Jinhyuk stepped closer and cupped Wooseok’s jaw with his free hand, leaning down to kiss him. 

Kissing Wooseok was something he couldn’t get tired of. Mostly, it was sweet and unhurried, something incredibly calming and like home. But it always had warmth bloom in his chest, and butterflies flutter around in his stomach. Their lips moved together, slowly, sweetly, Wooseok’s free hand gently grasping his elbow before they separated, barely, lips still brushing. 

Jinhyuk smiled and placed another kiss, just a peck, on the younger’s lips. 

“Have I told you I’m in love with you?” he asked and Wooseok chuckled. 

“Not today,” he replied. “But me too.” 

The Ravenclaw pulled back and studied him, eyes soft. 

“What’s going on?” he asked and Jinhyuk sighed. He knew the boy was waiting for an answer, but he would give him the time he needed. So instead of speaking directly, he started walking again. They passed the schoolgates, the winged boars staring at the mountains and Jinhyuk took a deep breath. 

“He’s so shy,” he started and Wooseok only squeezed his hand in encouragement. “He’s always been shy around my friends too, even me at times. We’re just two years apart, but sometimes it feels like there is a world between us.”

He glanced at the younger. 

“We’ve always been really close,” he said. “And I know he never said it but he was disappointed when I got my letter at eleven, but he didn’t. It helped that dad is no wizard either, but still.” 

“It’s hard for him to understand my world, and with the years, it’s become harder for me to understand his. And with friends it’s even more complicated because-” 

He didn’t know how to word it.

“Friends lack that universal understanding that you two have.” 

Wooseok was looking at him, expression neutral but eyes empathetic. Jinhyuk nodded. 

“He never had to go through teasing, as far as I know,” he said. “I’m glad. It’s no one’s fault he didn’t inherit magical abilities, and it’s just as good to not have them but I know he’s felt estranged. It’s harder to get along with a group of wizards if you don’t know half of the things they are talking about, and they don’t understand what you’re telling them.” 

Jinhyuk smiled sadly. 

“He felt like a burden, he told me once. Like he was weighing me down which makes absolutely no sense but he’s so set in this mindset most of the times-” 

Wooseok squeezed his hand again - this time to bring him back down. Jinhyuk was grateful. 

“He only came to Hogsmeade once,” he told Wooseok. “And it was only us, and mum and dad. And he felt so overwhelmed. I’m just scared…” 

“You’re scared he’s scared of me. Scared of not understanding - for either of us.” 

Once again, Wooseok had read him. Jinhyuk turned to look at the younger.

“How do you do that?” he asked. “Do you read my mind?” 

But the Ravenclaw shook his head. 

“It makes sense,” he admitted and gazed up at the sky. “To be honest, I’m scared of meeting him and making that same mistake. Of making him feel like he has to explain and justify everything and that he’s being thrust into a world he’s just not as familiar with. I want to find the balance, but I don’t want to patronise him either. It’s a limbo.” 

Jinhyuk sighed. Wooseok had probably caught the gist of it quicker than anyone else once more, but it didn’t really do anything to reassure Jinhyuk. He wanted to believe that it would work out, but at the same time he didn’t want to be too sure of himself. These were two people meeting that meant incredibly much to him, and he wasn’t sure how he would handle it if it didn’t work out. Wooseok pulled on his hand again and Jinhyuk looked up. 

“Hey,” he said, “I can’t promise that it’ll be perfect or even good the first time around. But I can promise you that if Jinwoo is willing to give me a chance, I’m willing to keep trying. It’s unlikely for most people to always be perfectly fine on the first meet-up and we have two worlds clashing here. But understanding might need time and work - and I’m willing to give that. Okay?” 

Jinhyuk nodded, eyes slightly itchy as he stared at Wooseok. The younger boy smiled and gestured at his pocket with their joined hands. 

“Did he text you already?” he asked. “Is he there yet?” 

Jinhyuk halted and pulled out his phone. Another perk of Hogsmeade: phone reception was working. As soon as one was far enough from Hogwarts’ gates, messages came back in. Jinhyuk scrolled through his notifications and clicked on Jinwoo’s contact to check. 

_ Mum is dropping me off at the three broomsticks in 5. See you there! xx _

The message had come in just a moment ago. Jinhyuk glanced at Wooseok with squinted eyes. 

“Are you sure you’re not clairvoyant?” he asked suspiciously and Wooseok giggled and pulled him along. 

“I heard the buzzing,” he said. “And Jinwoo wanted to text you anyway and I was sure you forgot.” 

Jinhyuk pursed his lips and trailed after Wooseok, still somewhat unconvinced. The Ravenclaw was strangely perceptive sometimes. Though, at times, not. Times involving armour parts and a swamp in a bathroom. 

It took them another few minutes to reach Hogsmeade and make their way down to the Three Broomsticks through the still rather empty streets. With most of the students just now leaving, they were much more likely to snag a table. Jinhyuk glanced around the familiar streets and grinned when he saw a familiar figure in front of the pub, huddled in a thick blue coat. He smiled and his steps got faster. 

“Jinwoo!” he called and waved. The boy in the coat turned to them and a bright smile lit up his face as he spotted the Gryffindor. He took a few steps in their direction and Jinhyuk let go of Wooseok’s hand to wrap his arms around his brother. The familiar scent of home invaded his senses and he closed his eyes for a moment and Jinwoo returned the hug. 

“I missed you,” Jinhyuk said quietly and Jinwoo giggled. 

“We just saw each other at Christmas,” he reminded him. “But me too.”

Reluctantly Jinhyuk let go and stepped back, letting his eyes wander over the smaller boy. He was smiling brightly, his dark hair was falling into his eyes. His hands were twitching at his sides - the only sign belying his apparent calm. Jinhyuk stepped to the side. 

“Jinwoo, this is Wooseok. Wooseok, this is my little brother Jinwoo.”

Wooseok stepped forward with a smile and his hand held out - Jinwoo blinked in surprise at the gesture but took it with minimal hesitation. 

“Nice to meet you,” he shyly returned Wooseok’s greeting with a giggle. Jinhyuk tried to suppress his own laugh. Wooseok smirked and raised an eyebrow. 

“Why do I feel like I just did something weird?” he asked and glanced between the brothers. Jinhyuk grinned and exchanged a glance with Jinwoo, nodding slightly. 

“Shaking hands is so formal,” Jinwoo explained shyly. “It’s like a business meeting or something.” 

Wooseok looked at Jinwoo for a moment blankly. Then he shook his head. 

“And I ask myself why the kids tell me I behave like an old man,” he mumbled, bringing a bright smile out of Jinwoo. Jinhyuk chuckled. 

“Or a lazy cat,” he added, barely avoiding the hit Wooseok aimed at him. He quickly pulled Jinwoo between them as a shield. 

“Let’s go in, I feel like this wind is freezing my b-”

“Jinhyuk!” 

“My buttocks off, I would never use inappropriate language in front of a child, Wooseok.” 

Jinwoo looked up at Jinhyuk for a second before he turned to Wooseok with an angelic smile. 

“I learnt all my swear words from him,” he revealed and Wooseok snorted. 

“A true older brother,” he commented, but there was an undeniable fondness in his voice. “Sounds like he’s always been a creature of chaos.” 

Jinwoo nodded and pulled out a chair at the table Jinhyuk had led them towards - a corner under a window. Somewhat secluded but not too far off. Wooseok pulled out his chair too and sat down, just to get back up. 

“We should get drinks-,” he started but Jinhyuk put a hand on his shoulder and pushed him back down. 

“I got it,” he said and draped his coat over the back of his chair before he turned to the bar. The pub was mostly empty, but students already started trickling in. Jinhyuk ordered three butter beers and stood there while he waited, eyes wandering back to the corner where his brother and his boyfriend were sitting. He examined them with a smile. 

There was some undeniable awkwardness, visible in the slightly tense stance both boys had, but otherwise they seemed relaxed. Wooseok had apparently asked something because Jinwoo was speaking, a light blush on his cheeks and eyes flitting from the table to the older boy. His observation was interrupted by his order and he grabbed the glasses before weaving his way through the array of tables back to the two boys. 

“-enjoy ICT a lot, so maybe something in that direction? I’m not sure, I need good GCSEs to get into the courses.” 

Wooseok nodded with a smile and looked up at Jinhyuk when he returned, but promptly diverted his attention back to Jinwoo. 

“ICT is computer technology, right?” he asked curiously. “I’m kind of out of the loop with that, sorry - how exactly does it work? Like what do you do?” 

Jinwoo hesitated for a second and exchanged a glance with Jinhyuk. He knew what the younger was thinking. How much detail should he go in? Would he bore Wooseok with explanations? Would it become uncomfortable? Jinhyuk thought for a second, then he replied. 

“There are different courses in A Levels with ICT focus, right? Like different to GCSE?” he asked, to give Jinwoo a starting point and Wooseok perked up. 

“Really?” he asked. “How does that work? Does it branch out?” 

His gaze was going in between Jinhyuk and Jinwoo, but settled on Jinwoo - an invitation for an explanation. The younger boy smiled and started explaining the muggle school system in a shorter version to Wooseok, who nodded along, lips slightly parted. Jinhyuk was amazed: the older had this expression he usually had when he was incredibly concentrated and he only interrupted Jinwoo for deeper questions or clarification, as well as occasional comparisons to how Hogwarts worked. 

The conversation started to shift, going over to Jinwoo’s interests - who in turn asked Wooseok about his. The older answered easily, adding little explanations for deeper magic concepts that sometimes came up but otherwise spoke normally. Jinhyuk felt warmth bloom in his chest. A main issue for Jinwoo had always been that he wasn’t sure how to ask. Due to his magical descent, people assumed that he knew a great deal of the magic world - and while he knew a lot, he was still lengths more familiar with the non-magical world. 

He noticed Wooseok tried to stick to topics that involved less magic and asked a lot of questions on Jinwoo’s life too. He knew the Ravenclaw was trying to make it easier for Jinwoo, a goal that was pretty obvious to his little brother too - but for once he seemed relaxed about it. He willingly filled the other in, explained things and brought Jinhyuk up to date with family things and gossip. Jinhyuk listened intently, but his thoughts were circling around Jinwoo’s behaviour. Maybe it was because of Wooseok’s honest interest instead of a clumsy attempt of politeness? He didn’t even notice that while watching them, he had hardly said anything. Jinwoo eventually looked at him with a raised eyebrow. 

“You’re quiet today,” he said. “Everything okay?” 

Wooseok was looking at him with a similar expression and Jinhyuk nodded quickly - promptly making his butter beer spill from the rapid movement and drip onto his pants. He scrambled to put it down and wipe it off quickly, but somehow he dabbed his sleeve into the glass in the process and started dripping even more of the sweet liquid around. Jinwoo snorted at the sight while Wooseok rubbed his hand over his face in exasperation before pulling his wand out. 

“You,” he said, “are a giant child. Now hold still.” 

A quick  _ Scourgify _ later and Jinhyuk was cleaned of any butter beer on his clothes, along to Wooseok’s sigh. The younger poked his side before he put away his wand, but the fondness in his eyes belied his exasperation. Jinwoo was watching the whole thing with a grin. 

“That,” he said, “was cool. And Yein would kill to be able to do that, seriously.” 

Jinhyuk and Wooseok looked over at the younger boy, Wooseok somewhat confused and Jinhyuk grinning. Jinwoo looked at the Ravenclaw. 

“Yein is a whole mum,” he explained, “and he’s been cleaning Jinhyuk’s messes for years now.” 

Wooseok opened his mouth in realisation. 

“He’s your friend from kindergarten, right?” he asked. “The one that knows Jinhyuk’s a wizard?” 

The brothers nodded and Jinwoo pulled out his phone, looking for something before he showed it to Wooseok. It was a picture of them with Yein, Jinhyuk towering over the two smaller boys, all three grinning. Yein still had his blond hair back then and looked positively angelic. When Jinhyuk had last seen him he had it dyed brown. 

Wooseok smiled at the picture. 

“He looks like a sweet person,” he said and Jinhyuk groaned. 

“He looks like an angel, but he’s so savage most of the time,” he lamented. “You’d probably love him.” 

Wooseok chuckled and Jinwoo glanced between them with a grin. 

“You know Yein’s been pestering me because he wants to meet Wooseok too,” he revealed. “You won’t get around that one.” 

Jinhyuk whined loudly, but there was warmth blooming in his chest. He missed Yein, and truth be told he wanted him to meet Wooseok too - though that would probably be his demise. Angel and devil, both in these two petite boys. Talk about a roller coaster. 

“By the way, did I tell you that Yein was voice crushing again?” Jinwoo asked and Jinhyuk perked up. 

“Again?” he asked. “Who’s it this time?”

Wooseok looked confused and Jinhyuk grinned. 

“Yein’s into voices,” he explained. “Sometimes he hears people sing and he pretty much crushes on their voice - literally. It’s nothing serious, or romantic - he’s just very affine to music. It’s been celebrities, people we know, even that one nightingale in front of his window once.” 

Wooseok smiled at the thought. 

“That’s cute,” he reasoned. “Does he sing too?” 

Jinwoo nodded. 

“He sounds like an angel,” he said. “I can show you a cover he did, he has a Youtube channel.” 

Wooseok perked up. 

“What’s it called?” he asked. “I’m going to check it out.” 

Jinhyuk raised his eyebrows. 

“You don’t even do Muggle studies,” he reminded the headboy, but that earned him an unimpressed glance. 

“Do you really think I have access to most classrooms and never use it?” Wooseok asked and Jinwoo broke out laughing, while Jinhyuk gaped. Wooseok smiled at him before he turned back to Jinwoo who promptly launched into a retelling of Yein’s choir exchange with another school and how he loved the voice of one boy in that choir - but apparently hadn’t been able to remember his name in the process, completely focussed on listening to him sing instead. Something like Jungsang, Yein had said. 

From there on it turned into a retelling of childhood stories, old jokes that were brought up and Jinwoo and Wooseok ganged up on Jinhyuk more than once. But for all his whining he really didn’t mind that much. He was enjoying this, and it seemed he wasn’t the only one.

  
  


.oO°Oo.

Yohan came to a stop in the Entrance Hall near the teachers’ check-out point without a warning. He just stood there, eyes wide as if he had seen a spectre and wasn’t moving. Byungchan ran into him full force and stumbled but Yohan barely budged. Instead, the Gryffindor turned to look at his friend with a pout. 

“I forgot my bag,” he stated sadly and if Junho didn’t know, he would have expected at least a death to have happened for Yohan to sound so gravely and desperate. But instead, he snorted. 

“Gotta go back then,” was all he replied with a grin while Byungchan snorted at Yohan’s face. For all his athleticism it was astonishing how he still despised walking up the stairs to the Gryffindor tower - and there were less steps than for the Ravenclaws. Still, Yohan hated it. 

If this was a cartoon, Junho would see massive teary eyes and a quivering lower lip. In reality, he was facing puppy eyes and a pout and honestly - he couldn’t tell which was worse. He grabbed Yohan’s hand with a sigh and nodded at Byungchan. 

“Don’t wait up,” he said. “We’ll find you in Hogsmeade.”

The older boy nodded at him and Junho started pulling his best friend towards the Grand Staircase again and up the steps while the other kept dragging his feet in a sulk. Junho could barely refrain from rolling his eyes fondly. What a big baby. 

“How did you forget your bag, of all things?” he asked instead and Yohan shrugged, his hand twitching in Junho’s grasp. The older seemed to catch himself a bit and stepped up so he was beside Junho in two strides and not dragged behind him. Their clasped hands swung between them. 

“I just did?” he tried weakly and Junho chuckled. “I had other things on my mind!” 

Junho looked up at him with a raised eyebrow, skillfully sidestepping the disappearing step on the staircase they were climbing. Yohan reacted just a second later, almost late enough to get stuck in the space under the fake step, but caught himself, stumbling slightly.

“We were already running late,” he explained sheepishly. “And I was hurrying Byungchan along and Pyo suddenly jumped on my back and yeah…”

“Did you think Dongpyo was your backpack?” Junho asked the older incredulously and Yohan turned bright red within seconds. It was funny to watch really, the crimson climbing up from his neck to his cheeks in spotty blotches as he avoided Junho’s eyes. 

“Maybe,” he admitted and Junho snorted out a laugh. 

“You,” he declared, “need sleep and some rest. Dongpyo is small and light, but nowhere like a backpack and if you brain is that fried-”

“It’s not-! I don’t- Jun, look he’s really small and tiny and light and he didn’t screech into my ear so I just thought-” 

Yohan whined, practically vibrating from nervous energy. Junho giggled at his obvious torture, but his thumb went to draw small shapes on the back of Yohan’s hand instead, calming and comforting. He bumped his shoulder against the older as they walked. It was as much a teasing as it was a sign of reassurance, and Junho smiled to himself when he felt Yohan repeat the action.

He looked out of one of the windows they passed: the sky was a steely grey, dark and foreboding and not at all welcoming. The wind hadn’t quite picked up yet, but the pressure in the atmosphere seemed almost palpable. Junho was sure that if they passed an open window he would already be able to smell the rain. 

Yohan slowing down brought him out of his thoughts again and he realised they were in front of the Fat Lady’s painting. Yohan muttered the password and they squeezed through the hole behind the painting individually entering a pretty much empty Common Room. No surprises there. The younger students liked to sleep in on Hogsmeade weekends, with less chaos going on, or were roaming through the castle. Only a few scattered groups were in the Common Room, but Yohan headed past them without a second glance and Junho followed on autopilot. 

He had to admit that he liked the Ravenclaw Common Room a bit more, with it’s large windows and more muted colours of blue instead of blinding red, the bookshelves and the star-painted ceiling. But the dorms were another thing. The dark wood of the furniture was softened by the warm hues of the Gryffindor house colour and he loved the sight over the forest that Yohan had from his dorm room. It seemed warmer than his own. He had been here many times over the years and he probably wouldn’t be able to tell how often he had slept over by now - but neither could Yohan - he still preferred the Gryffindor dorms. 

He glanced around the room as Yohan headed for his bed, plopping onto the mattress and grabbing his small tote bag that he usually used when they went to Hogsmeade - with a sweet tooth like his it was no surprise he needed an extra bag. The older boy glanced into the tote bag and furrowed his eyebrows. 

“What?” Junho asked amusedly. “Have you forgotten some apples there again?” 

Yohan shot him a playful glare but shook his head. 

“I didn’t even pack it,” he announced, voice astonished at his own forgetfulness. He leaned backwards and reached behind the bed to where Junho expected his schoolbag to be, along with his wallet and phone. And being Yohan, it would have been much easier to reach if he had just went around the bed but no. The older boy flopped down onto the mattress on his belly like a fish and stretched out his arm in hopes of reaching the desired things anyway. 

Needless to say his arm was too short. 

The long suffering sigh he let out was Junho’s signal and without warning he flopped down onto the older, trapping him underneath himself and burying his face in the older boy’s shoulder. The familiar smell of his friend surrounded him and Junho barely suppressed a sigh of contentment. Yohan barely stirred and only let out a small huff at the added weight on himself. 

“I thought we needed to hurry,” he said with a smile painting his voice and Junho shook his head slowly. Was that an excuse to further snuggle into Yohan’s cardigan? Yes, it definitely was. But it was also an answer. 

“Let’s stay in,” he mumbled quietly and the older stirred.

“I thought you wanted to go to Hogsmeade?” he asked, puzzled. Junho contemplated his answer for a second before he spoke. 

“I did,” he admitted, “but honestly it looks like rain out there and if you don’t want to go either, I’d rather stay in.” 

He knew his voice was muffled by the wooly fabric but Yohan had understood him enough. A quiet chuckle rumbled through the older’s body and Junho felt his chest shaking underneath him for a moment. 

“I have a feeling that’s not all,” Yohan mused and Junho shrugged,  rolling off his friend and landing on his back beside him. 

“You’re tired,” he stated matter-of-factly and fixed Yohan in an inquisitive look. “You can use a break instead of running around another day." The Gryffindor raised an eyebrow at him. 

“So you’re staying in for me?” he asked cheekily and Junho rolled his eyes. 

“Don’t overestimate your importance to me,” he mumbled gruffly. “I am staying because I want to.” 

He pouted at the Gryffindor who turned his head to fix him in a soft gace, mischievousness barely noticeable - just a twinkle in Yphan’s eyes. But Junho knew him well enough to recognise it. 

“You,” he said in a low tone, “are just one dumb sentence away from starting a war.” 

Yohan grinned widely. 

“Is it really a war if I already know the outcome?” he asked cheekily. “Because you can’t win.”

It took Junho just one second to reach over and grab the pillow beside him to hurl it at Yohan, but the older needed that exact same second to throw himself onto Junho, trying to hold his arms down. It was his usual attempt at holding the younger down, and normally he succeeded in doing so - but this time Junho was prepared. 

When Yohan launched at him, he let go of the pillow to grab the boy by his arm and pull him farther towards him, promptly propelling him over Junho and making him land beside him instead of on him. Yohan let out an undignified squawk that quickly turned into breathless squealing when Junho relentlessly attacked his sides with jabs. The older was too ticklish for his own good, really. 

Junho full on tackled the older again, this time, throwing a leg over Yohan’s hip and straddling him while still attacking his sides with tickles and little pinches while the older writhed. 

“Do you still think you can win?” he asked cockily, ceasing his attacks for a moment - but that proved to be fatal. Yohan gathered his bearing quicker than he expected and promptly shot up into a sitting position, grabbing Junho and flipping them over again so the Ravenclaw landed flat on his back, the air leaving his lungs in a surprised gasp. Yohan smirked. 

“Yup,” he said, quickly grabbing Junho’s hands while he went to get onto his knees for better leverage. He held the younger boy’s hands down as much as he could with Junho struggling, their fingers laced together and each trying to push the other away or down. But Yohan had the upper hand. 

“After all, you almost killed me just now,” he said jokingly and Junho laughed, a warm feeling spreading in his chest - affection, he noted - despite still struggling. 

“Murder wasn’t on today’s agenda though,” he said nonchalantly and Yohan stilled for a second before he chuckled. 

“It's not on anyone’s,” he responded light-heartedly. Junho raised his eyebrows. 

“No, it’s on mine,” he corrected airily. “Just not until next Thursday.”

Yohan stilled for a second, then broke out into laughter, and Junho chuckled along. Next Thursday, that damned ancient runes project would end. Instead of a one-time thing the partner work had been elongated to another project and Junho had encountered more issues with his partner than before. Instead of not doing anything, he now did participate - but he sucked at it. Junho had to redo all of the translations and correct everything thrice over. When this ended on Thursday, he would finally be rid of that guy. One way or another. 

“Earth to Junho?” Yohan said above him and he Junho focussed back on the situation at hand only to almost flinch because Yohan had leaned forward and he had not expected to see that much face at once. It was a bit like a dog snout close to a camera lens.

“Are you there?” Yohan added and Junho snorted. 

“Physically, yes,” he replied haughtily. “Mentally debatable.”

Yohan chuckled and Junho noticed how he was still leaning close to his face, only held up by his forearms on the blanket, their hands still clasped. 

“I guess I’m as tired as you,” he added on and Yohan’s expression softened into something fond. Something, a small part of Junho’s brain noted cheekily, he had hardly ever seen with anyone else but him. But before he could reprimand his brain for the comment, Yohan pushed himself up and let go of Junho’s hands. Instead he let himself fall to the side, kicking off his shoes in the process and stretching out his legs now that he was laying in the right direction and not perpendicular on the bed. 

Junho wrinkled his nose as those feet got close and pushed himself up, toeing off his shoes as well. He raised an eyebrow at Yohan’s socks, one striped in yellow and green, the other checkered in black and grey. 

“What are your socks?” he asked judgingly and pulled his legs onto the bed, letting himself fall beside Yohan and stretching out beside his friend, who just glanced at him, fake disappointment etched into his features. 

“Art,” he replied simply. Junho snorted and looked up at the red drapes of the bed. 

“You didn’t look when you got up this morning?” he asked but he already knew the answer. Yohan hummed next to him and he felt his lips pull into an involuntary smile. They fell silent, just laying there with the slight buzz from the common room barely reaching them through the thick walls and doors. The fire in the oven in the centre of the room crackled quietly, and the wind must’ve picked up outside judging by the howling that reached their ears. When a light pitter-patter of raindrops started against the window, Yohan sat up. 

“Alright,” he said, “we’re definitely staying in now.”

He started pulling off his coat and scooted to the edge of his bed while Junho fixed him in an amused glance. 

“Were you still in doubt?” he asked, but instead of a reply, Yohan threw a bundle of fabric in his face. By the time he had pulled it off and figured out that they were joggers, Yohan had almost finished changing into his own pair. 

“Might as well get comfortable,” he said and Junho shrugged and sat up as well. His coat landed on the end of the bed, along with his jeans, while Yohan got up and hung both of the coats onto the coat rack instead of leaving them. When he got back he promptly slipped under the blanket on his bed, holding up the other side for Junho. 

He smiled and joined Yohan, immediately soothed by the warmth that was already starting to fill up the space under the covers. He got cold easily and Yohan’s body warmth was comforting. Junho stayed on his back and waited. It took just a minute until Yohan turned onto his side, shuffling closer so he could snuggle into Junho’s side, his cheek pressed against the knob of his shoulder and one of his legs thrown over the younger’s. 

“Have you heard of Donghyun and Yunseong?” he asked and his voice was more quiet and subdued than before. Junho kept silent for a second. 

“Nothing new, really,” he replied. “They’re still in the hospital wing, and when I went to see them this week, they seemed pretty much fine but something…”

He trailed off, unsure how to express his thoughts. Yohan moved slightly and Junho could feel him speak into his shoulder. 

“Something doesn’t sit right with me,” he said and Junho nodded. “They seem fine, but there’s kind of a tension. They have no visible injuries, but they are not allowed to leave their beds. And no one knows what happened.”

“I’m pretty sure some of the hyungs know what happened,” Junho added. “But they’re not talking either. I asked Seokie hyung but he wouldn’t tell me.”

Yohan sighed. 

“I was wondering if it had anything to do with the cocka-what’s-it-called? But I looked it up and I don’t think that’s it because that thing is…”

He trailed off and Junho took a second to swallow the knot in his throat at the thought.

“They wouldn’t have survived, then,” he stated simply. “It seems unlikely.” 

He looked down at Yohan’s face and frowned. The older was biting his lip, eyes far away and eyebrows knotted. Junho lifted his free hand and tapped his finger against Yohan’s forehead. 

“Hey,” he mumbled gently. “Do you really need to know?” 

Yohan looked up at him and slowly his features softened. He let out a sigh and visibly relaxed. 

“Not necessarily,” he admitted. “I’m just worried. They never landed in the hospital wing, at least not for longer than a quick pepper-up spell but we know nothing and it seems something happened. I just feel like-” 

“You want to help,” Junho finished his sentence and Yohan nodded. “Then maybe…” 

The older looked up at him and Junho swallowed at the sight. Yohan’s eyes were wide and sparkly, the worry inside them, worry for his friends caused by deep affection, made a fierce affection and need to protect the older course through Junho. His breath hitched for just a second, then he caught himself. 

“Maybe wait for them to approach you,” he said. “They know you will help them, but maybe in this, you just can’t , or not yet. Neither me, apparently. So wait for them, and give them the time they need.” 

Yohan pressed his lips into a thin line as he considered his words. Then he nodded. 

“You’re right,” he said. “I want to help, but it’s their call.”

He sighed and turned his face back again, snuggling into Junho’s shoulder. 

“How’s practice?” Junho asked after a second. Yohan whined. 

“They wind these days,” he complained. “It’s making everything so hard. But Nayoung’s completely back in the game, which is good.” 

Junho smiled to himself, and felt Yohan shake with light laughter against his side. 

“Why are you asking me about practise, when you’re there like at least a third of the time?” the older added and Junho shrugged lightly. 

“I can’t tell how it’s going,” he retorted. “You’re flying, no matter the weather.” 

Yohan snorted and Junho couldn’t help but chuckle. Despite his best friend being passionate about Quidditch, Junho remained somewhat oblivious to the finer features of the game and reading the players and their movements. He was supportive for Yohan’s sake, but the game couldn’t quite capture him as much. 

“If you’re tired,” he said quietly, “then maybe take a nap. It’ll take a while for anyone to come back.”

He could tell by the eyebags Yohan was sporting that the older needed sleep, and this was his best opportunity. The Gryffindor hummed against Junho’s shoulder in reply, before he turned away for a second, reaching for a book on his nightstand after he tapped it with his wand. The book floated into the air and hovered there while Yohan placed his wand back and turned around again, pulling the floating book with him, pushing it lightly towards Junho. 

“Bookmark’s still in there,” he mumbled before he snuggled against the younger boy’s side again. Junho smiled and reached up with his free hand to pull the book above his face at a comfortable distance, opening it to the page he had been at. A historic fiction novel on the witch trials of Salem - the muggle perspective though. He had forgotten it at Yohan’s the last time he had been over. 

The book kept hovering above his face as he dove into the story again, only reaching up to turn the page while Yohan was cuddled up against him, his breathing evening out within minutes. He must’ve been tired to fall asleep that quickly. Junho smiled to himself as he kept reading. The pitter-patter of raindrops against the window got louder at times when the wind threw the rain against the castle full force, but the dorm room was nice and comfortable. 

He wasn’t sure how long he had been reading when Yohan stirred again, but it couldn’t have been more than an hour. A short glance at his watch proved he was right. The older blinked blearily and yawned while stretching a bit before he slumped against Junho again. The Ravenclaw looked at him warmly. 

“Sleep some more,” he whispered and Yohan mumbled something incomprehensible while turned onto his back, one arm thrown above his head. Junho chuckled and slowly turned onto his stomach to not disturb his friend. His spine cracked after laying in one position for so long and he propped himself up on his elbows, the book placed on the pillow as he kept reading. 

Yohan kept fidgeting, half asleep and restless beside him, quiet mumbles leaving his mouth. Junho turned to look at him for a moment before he reached over, brushing his hand through Yohan’s hair. The older flinched at the sudden contact, his sleepy mind surprised but he stayed quiet. Junho let his hand slide down the side of Yohan’s face, cupping the side of his head gently and then moving down to his neck, his fingers moving over the soft skin gently. It took a few minutes, but Yohan stopped fidgeting, falling fully asleep once more and Junho carefully retreated his hand from his neck to turn back to his book. 

The rain had gotten weaker, maybe it had already stopped but he wasn’t sure. It must be getting close to lunch by now but he felt no hunger and disturbing Yohan now that he had some time to rest seemed reckless. Junho focussed back on his book - or at least tried to, but his thoughts kept wandering back to Yohan, and so did his eyes. Eventually, he gave up. He pushed his book to the side and laid down on his side facing Yohan.

Despite the risk of seeming creepy, he studied the older’s sleeping face. He was peaceful like this, relaxed apart from the slight pout he was sporting again - something he always did in his sleep. Junho had seen it often enough to know that it was just his sleeping face and not a sign of distress. His hand was still thrown above his head and Junho studied the callouses on it. Each of them told their story of Yohan’s hard work. There was a small ink splotch on the inside of his ring finger too. 

Junho smiled to himself as his eyes wandered back to Yohan’s face and he once again studied his familiar features. Looking at him gave Junho a strange sense of home, a feeling like half-forgotten memories of hugs and warmth. It wasn’t anything specific, a definitive memory he was feeling. More like a general feeling. An inherent and deep feeling of belonging and the knowledge that this was safe.

“You’re staring,” Yohan mumbled, his eyes not even open. Junho just hummed. No need denying it. Yohan smiled lightly, but kept his eyes closed. 

“Take a picture,” he added. “It’ll last longer.” 

Junho snorted lightly. 

“You already make up about half of my camera roll,” he said teasingly. “Sihoon was really surprised because of all your selfies in summer.” 

Yohan’s lip twitched but he still kept his eyes closed. Junho knew that the older was aware of what he meant. But he didn’t mind the older being around him shirtless. Or sending him pictures like that. 

“I had an interesting talk with Sihoon a while back,” Yohan said quietly. Instead of elaborating he slowly opened his eyes and turned onto his side too to look at Junho. 

“What about?” he asked. Sihoon was in Yohan’s year, so he wasn’t surprised they talked but not often, or at least not outside of studying. And for Yohan to mention it, it must’ve been something not related to school. 

“About feelings,” the older replied airily. “Sihoon told me some things, some surprising, some… enlightening.” 

Junho raised an eyebrow. Sihoon was a bit closed off regarding his emotions sometimes, something Junho had noticed pretty easily. He was friendly, but he took a while to emotionally open up too. Despite popular belief, Junho wasn’t exactly detached from emotions. He was just less surprised by them. Emotions tended to surprise people, and make them react even more emotionally. They got confused instead of accepting their emotions, started questioning themselves and their actions. Junho saw it a lot around him, in his friends and classmates. In Yohan too. 

He liked to think that even if he might not be able to pinpoint the exact emotion, he easily saw the changes in people. He had seen it in Sihoon, his behaviour like a subconscious push and pull, getting close to Junho, pulling back a bit, then coming closer again until he retreated again. He wasn’t sure why, but the older seemed to have a reason to not get too close to him - though where too close was, he couldn’t tell either. He had a feeling Yohan knew what the ‘too close’ was. 

“What did it enlighten you about?” he asked, mind returning back to their conversation. Yohan studied him with an unreadable expression, something fond with something else. Something familiar. But familiar from where? He racked his brain as he tried to remember. 

“That maybe-” 

It felt like it was on the tip of his tongue. 

“Maybe?” he encouraged the older to speak. Yohan looked like he braced himself for a moment. 

“That maybe I don’t need to be as afraid about some things as I am.”

Oh. There it was again. That fondness. That something. That- right. Now he remembered. He was pretty sure that it was the same emotion he felt when he looked at Yohan. That feeling of being in love with him. His most familiar emotion probably. 

The realisation hadn't come as a shock or surprise to him. Maybe a surprise only at the realisation how long it had taken him to put it in words, when he had looked at Yohan one day and thought ‘I love him’. It had just taken form, comprehensible form. But it hadn’t made him nervous, or anxious. Because it had been there before. Nothing really changed. 

He studied Yohan’s eyes again. There it was, still. That same emotion. He was sure it was the same he felt. A small voice inside his head told him that despite knowing Yohan so well, it felt like the older was showing him more of his emotions right now than he usually did. Maybe he was. And if he did, he probably had a reason for that. 

Suddenly - or was it gradually? - he felt something change. Or was it really changing? He considered for a second and decided that it wasn’t change. It was the want for change. The want to change. That instead of accepting and continuing with the knowledge, the sight of these emotions, he wanted to change something. Because right now, it wasn’t as it had been before. Or maybe it was, but it felt different. 

“Jun?” 

Yohan’s voice broke through his circulating thoughts and he focussed back. The older had shuffled closer to him, eyes fixed on his face and filled with something close to anxiousness. Junho must have been quiet for longer than he thought. 

He made a decision. 

Instead of replying, he lifted his hand and brought it back to Yohan’s neck, gently placing it there and sliding it up, slightly tilting Yohan’s jaw as he leaned forward and placed his lips onto the older’s. 

It was warm, and Yohan’s lips were soft, despite being slightly chapped. He felt the older suck in a surprised gasp, a small sound in the back of his throat and his whole body tightened for a second when Junho sealed their lips together. He felt Yohan’s eyes flutter closed when his lashes brushed against his cheek and he relaxed into the kiss. It was chaste, and sweet, and soft, merely a press of lips against each other. Then he pulled back. 

Not far though. Just enough so he could look at the older. Yohan’s eyes were still closed, and only fluttered open after a moment. There was a light blush on his cheeks and he seemed breathless. There was a single question in his eyes. Junho smiled.

“I’m sure,” he said quietly.

Yohan surged forward, closing the small distance between them again, his hand coming up to cup Junho’s face and slide into his hair, soft, gentle, trembling. Junho met his lips again and this time, anticipation coursed through his stomach like a torrent, like a free fall. He moved closer, crowding Yohan, their lips meeting at an awkward angle with both of them on their sides until the older boy rolled onto his back, a hand on Junho’s arm pulling him along. Their lips met again, better this time, and Junho tilted his head to kiss Yohan properly, not just a peck. 

It was just as sweet, he decided when their lips slid against each other, pulling back slightly to meet again, and again. The hand on his arm went to his waist, pulling him closer and he braced his other hand closer to Yohan’s head to not crush the other. But he didn’t pull away. 

Yohan’s fingers were still threading through his hair, not staying still, moving through the short hair at his nape, to the side and down his neck again, up to cup his cheek. 

He felt the older boy’s rapid breaths underneath him, his chest moving with each intake and release and Junho thought that he was probably breathing just as quickly, his brain just wasn’t catching up yet. 

He kissed Yohan again, slowly this time, languidly, taking his time to really take the feeling in and he felt the older starting to smile against his lips. It was infectious and his own lips pulled into a mirroring expression, their teeth knocking slightly when they didn’t move back because they were still so close. 

He leaned his forehead against Yohan’s. It felt less like change than he would have thought. Maybe because that change had only brought things out into the open that had been hidden for too long. And it felt like he was taking a first deep breath. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO we got three different stories here and the final conclusion to Yoho... What are your thoughts? Good? Bad? Who do you think will be up next? It might be a bit of a surprise, but who knows...  
Anyway, glad to be back and tell us your thought in the comments or on Twitter (@chaos_kisses)

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys!! SO we've been thinking about adding more tags to this story buuuuuuut we're shit at doing so. But maybe you have ideas what tags are missing or could be added??
> 
> Let us know your ideas in the comments or on twitter (https://twitter.com/chaos_kisses)


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